BUZZ KILL

Climber Airlifted to Hospital After Horrific Wasp Attack

A walk on the trail had a sting in the tail.

A climber has been airlifted to hospital after she was stung more than 100 times by wasps. The 33-year-old woman and her friend had finished their expedition over Redoubt Wall, 40 miles north of Vancouver, when the insects attacked on Tuesday. Lions Bay Search and Rescue said in a statement on Facebook that the unnamed pair had been walking down a trail when they trod on a wasp’s nest and one suffered a severe allergic reaction after she was repeatedly stung. She needed to be evacuated by helicopter, lifted from the trail under dense tree canopy, before being delivered to B.C. Emergency Health Services. Speaking to the New York Times, rescue team member Carolyn Kelly-Smith said, “She was suffering a severe allergic reaction and had taken antihistamines.” She added that no EpiPen was needed and the victim required no further treatment, but offered a warning, saying, “Even if you haven’t been stung by a wasp before, multiple stings increase the risk of the systemic reaction. You can develop a severe reaction at any time.”