Border Patrol agent rescued migrant mother, son from attacking swarm of bees

BROWNSVILLE, Texas -- A Guatemalan woman and her 8-year-old son were rescued in Texas after thousands of bees attacked them near the border, US Customs and Border Protection officials said.

A Border Patrol agent patrolling in Brownsville, Texas, Tuesday, June 4 noticed a small swarm of bees in his vehicle. After clearing his vehicle, the agent started tracking the rest of the bees and spotted thousands of them covering what it looked like "jacket and a bundle," the agency said in a statement.

"Upon closer investigation, the agent realized the bundle was a person curled up in the fetal position," the statement said.

The agent yelled at the person to get up and run to his patrol vehicle, but realized that someone else needed help.

"As the person stood up, the agent noticed the person was covering a small child," the statement said.

The three of them were inside the patrol vehicle waiting for an ambulance when the boy started vomiting. Border Patrol officials said the agent decided to quickly take them to the hospital instead of waiting.

The boy and his mother were being treated at the hospital. Details of their conditions were unknown, but officials said they were admitted in the intensive care unit. They were expected to recover, authorities said.

They were expected to be processed by immigration officials once they were released from the hospital.

In 2018, Border Patrol agents rescued a family from El Salvador who was also attacked by a swarm of bees near Rio Grande City, a town along the border and about 100 miles northwest of Brownsville.

The agents used fire extinguishers to drive the bees away from mother, her 13-year-old daughter and her 10-year-old son, the agency said in statement.