71-year-old stung 1,000 times by bees

California: A 71-year-old woman suffered about 1,000 stings in Southern California after being attacked by a swarm of killer bees that covered her entire body.

Cal Fire Battalion Chief Mark Williams says the woman was expected to recover after the attack in Palm Desert. He said five firefighters were also hospitalised for stings.

A bee removal specialist said that up to 80,000 Africanised honey bees found in an underground electrical vault stung a Verizon employee who opened the vault.

The company's owner, Lance Davis, said that the aggressive bees attacked simply because the woman stepped within a 90-yard radius of the swarm. "They just went into her car and attacked her," Davis added. "They were mad."

Davis said he removed the bees and brought them to his hives, where they will produce honey.