A construction worker in California died after being attacked by a swarm of bees.

The New York Daily News reports a California construction worker died after a swarm of bees attacked him. The worker had inadvertently disturbed an underground bee hive while drilling in a Wal-Mart parking lot. The bees apparently had built a hive on a buried sprinkler valve. Onlookers watched as the man was on the ground, trying to shield himself from the bees stingers. Paramedics rushed over to the man to try to save him, but he died shortly after.

Two workers were also injured and were treated to minor injuries. According to ABC affiliate KABC, fellow construction worker David Wolf gave his take on the tragic incident, stating, "It was insane, it happened pretty quick, really. They just kept splitting up and chasing all of the other workers."

Workers were finally able to stifle the bees' attack with water. A bee exterminator was called to the scene. After the attack, the bees returned to their hives, but it is not known if they were killed or relocated to another hive.

According to The Desert Sun, the man was identified as Douglas Queen, a 49-year-old man from Los Angeles. Queen was an electrician for JDI Electrical Solutions. Queen died from a severe allergic reaction. The type of bee is unknown as of yet.

Bees can easily be provoked, but rarely attack humans first. If the hive is disturbed, thousands of bees can attack at one time. According to the Press Enterprise, about 2-in-1,000 people are allergic to the bee venom and can possibly die from a single sting.