A part of the highway from Florida to Maine had to be closed by the police, after a truck transporting 460 hives containing 20 million bees to overturn yesterday, local authorities reported.
The incident happened at around 18:10 hours, local time, yesterday on the ramp of an exit on Route 896 to Interstate 95 in Newark, Delaware, according to the CBS.
The driver, two passengers and many people close to where the accident happened had to be hospitalized due to being stung by the insects, but all of them are reported to be far from danger.
Specialists had to spray the vehicle and the surrounding area with water to calm down the bees, while the Delaware State Police requested drivers to stay away from the area to prevent more incidents.
Sgt. Paul Shavack, spokesman for the state police, said that the driver and two passengers managed to exit the vehicle but were stung between 50 and 100 times each, and were taken to the Christiana Hospital, according to the website of Fox News in their coverage of the incident.
Sgt. Shavack told the media that the presence of three experts was required, and that they along with firemen attempted to rescue the bees that escaped from their hives.
"There's no way to make them fly back in. Water will disperse them and calm them," said Sgt. Shavack, according to the quoted source.
The police reported that they must wait until all the bees are calm so that the fireman can move the truck and open the ramp to traffic once more.