Two children were killed and four others were injured in a bee attack in Giridih district of Jharkhand on Tuesday evening.

According to reports, 12-year-old Uttam Bhula and his brother Gautam, 10, sons of Narayan Bhula, had gone to graze goats in Devani forest near Baghjant village on Tuesday evening and had climbed a tree to pluck fruits when they were attacked by a swarm of bees. Hearing their cries, their aunt Malwa Devi, uncle Arjun Bhula and cousin sisters Soni Kumari and Karishma Kumari rushed to the spot only to be attacked by the bees causing injuries to them.

However, they managed to bring the two children back with them to the house and opted for treatment by a village quack. When the condition of the children deteriorated in the night, they tried to take them to the nearby primary health centre on Wednesday morning but they succumbed to their injuries on the way.

Baghjant falls under Nimadih panchayat of Gawan block in Giridih district, around 240km from Ranchi.

Giridih deputy commissioner Rahul Kumar said that they will verify if the forest department has any provision for compensation. “The incident took place in a forest when the bees attacked them. I have asked the local block officials to submit a report in this connection which would be forwarded to the forest department to explore any possibility of compensation for the bereaved family,” he said.

The bodies of the children were handed over to their relatives for the last rites.

A week ago, a 10-year-old boy of Singho village under Tisri police station area in Giridih district was killed in a bee attack along with four other members of his family.

Vishal, son of Kauleshwari Turi, died while being taken to the hospital. The family members had relied on a village quack for treatment before deciding to take him to hospital.

Vishal had also gone to the forest to graze goats with two friends and had climbed a tree when he was attacked by a swarm of bees. The bees attacked the three children and family members who had rushed to the site.