An American teacher and his teenage son have been killed by hornets while ziplining on holiday in Laos.
Daniel Owen, 47, and Cooper, 15, died on October 15 after being stung by hundreds of what appear to be Asian giant hornets, while ziplining at an eco-adventure resort near the city of Luang Prabang.
The hornets swarmed over the two Americans and their guide as they struggled to descend from a tree, according to a source close to US diplomats in Laos. Ziplining involves sliding in a harness along a steel cable between platforms built high up in the tropical trees.
Phanomsay Phakan, a doctor at the Phakan Arocavet Clinic where the pair were first taken, said: “Their whole bodies were covered in red spots. It was very, very painful. A lot of stings, more than 100, over the whole body. I thought already that it’s a very dangerous situation because I had never seen it as bad as that.”
The father and son were conscious when they arrived at the clinic and showed no symptoms of anaphylactic shock, the allergic reactions that can kill people who have been stung by bees, wasps and hornets. They were transferred after less than an hour to the Luang Prabang provincial hospital, where they died a few hours later.
Asian giant hornets (Vespa mandarinia) are the world’s largest and are distinct from Asian hornets (Vespa velutina), a species which has spread to Europe and the UK.
In Spain last month three people died from allergic reactions to hornet stings in the Galicia region, including one man who accidentally stepped on a nest.
Ian Campbell, a spokesman at the British Beekeepers Association, said the danger varies from individual to individual. “Hornets, like wasps can sting multiple times,” he said. “There is no threshold that has been set for the number of stings. A lot of it is down to the individual response — people do get injured, people do get hospitalised and, on occasion, people die. So there is a public health risk from this.
“The severity of an attack can [be worse] if a nest is disturbed. They will defend it vigorously and in force.”
In Laos, minor stings are common but, according to Phakan, fatalities are rare. “I have never seen a death and I have been working more than 20 years,” he said.
Laos is an increasingly popular destination both for families and for young backpackers on the “banana pancake trail”, from Thailand, through Laos and on to Vietnam and Cambodia.
Tourism in Laos has been strong this year, with more than three million arrivals so far this year. Luang Prabang was voted as the No 1 place to visit in Asia in 2025 by Lonely Planet.
Aerial view of Luang Prabang, Laos, showing the city nestled among palm trees with mountains in the background.
Last November six young people, including Simone White, a 28-year-old lawyer from Orpington in Kent, died in the riverside town of Vang Vieng, northern Laos, after drinking alcohol contaminated with poisonous methanol. Calum Macdonald, 23, another British holidaymaker, lost his sight after consuming the alcohol but survived.
Owen, from Idaho, died on, or just before, his 47th birthday. He was the director of QSI International School in Haiphong in northern Vietnam and had spent his career teaching in other international schools around the world.
“We are deeply saddened by the sudden passing of Dan Owen … and his son Cooper,” QSI said in a statement. “Dan dedicated 18 years to QSI, serving in five different schools and touching countless lives with his warmth, leadership and unwavering commitment to education. He was deeply loved across our community and will be profoundly missed.”
John Gaines, a close friend of Owen and fellow teacher, said: “He was a few years older than me and it was right away like I had a big brother. Everyone looked up to him, partially because he was so damn tall, especially his students.
“His students would banter with him in the hallways [in] a way that you could tell they trusted him because he was consistent and fair with them.”
Anoushka Mahar, a former pupil of Owen’s at QSI, said he “went above and beyond to make sure our school was a safe space.”
“Mr Owen taught me the value of being kind, appreciative and ambitious,” she said. “I felt comfortable enough to confide in him that I didn’t think I could afford higher education. He worked with me in university searches since freshman year to make sure I had a stellar enough college application to get a big merit-based scholarship.”
“I wish I could’ve told him that I did notice all his efforts, that I did appreciate them and that I learnt a lot.”
A spokesman for the park said: “Green Jungle Park extends its deepest condolences to the family and friends of Daniel and Cooper Owen. Following this incident, we have reviewed all existing procedures. This event is unprecedented in our experience and, to our understanding, in Luang Prabang as well. It was an unforeseeable and extraordinary natural occurrence.”
The business charges 450,000 kip (£16) per person for a ziplining session. Its website promises “14 stations and 1,300 meters of Zip Line down to the Valley. [You can] fly between the trees, cross the Green Jungle Canopy, enjoy or challenge your friends with 180 metres of Twin Line and fly above the Green Garden Flower on 290 metres before [you] abseil down of the tree and then back to the coffee shop.”
https://www.thetimes.com/world/asia/article/hornets-deaths-laos-daniel-owen-asian-giants-z0khnmglw
