Passersby were stung over a period of about 30 minutes on Sunday morning, according to the Prefecture of Cantal, in south-central France.

Firefighters and medical personnel quickly responded to the location to provide aid to the affected individuals, while law enforcement established a safety perimeter until the bees ceased their assault.

The three people in critical condition were evacuated to a local hospital.

Pierre Mathonier, the mayor of Aurillac, told French broadcaster BFM TV yesterday that their condition has improved.

One of them was a 78-year-old person who had to be resuscitated after cardiorespiratory arrest and is now in stable condition, he said.

The two others “are in good health,” he added.

The mayor suggested that the incident might have been linked to Asian hornets posing a threat to a beehive located on the rooftop terrace of a central hotel, where it had been situated for over ten years.

He said that this had likely caused the bees to become aggressive.

Mathonier said that the beekeeper has removed the beehive and relocated it outside of the town.

Lieutenant Colonel Michel Cayla, in charge of the local fire services, said that he had never experienced such an attack.

He said the victim who was in cardiorespiratory arrest had to be resuscitated in the fire department’s ambulance.

“In terms of the number of victims, the panic among the people and the severity of some of the injuries, it was impressive,” he told broadcaster TF1.