Two hiking club members died and one was badly hurt after a swarm of hornets attacked them deep in a closed-off mountain area, and rescuers finished pulling out the bodies today.

• Three members of a hiking club were exploring off-limits terrain on the Hengchun Peninsula when hornets swarmed them, killing two and injuring one.
• The Pingtung search team went in wearing heavy, hot bee-proof suits, pushing through thick brush with no trail and no exact location to work from.
• Rescuers had to watch for more hidden nests while reading the terrain, unsure if a second or third hive lay ahead.
• Carrying two bodies out over rough ground would have taken five to six hours, so the team scouted a closer, safer spot for a helicopter lift and hauled the victims out in stages.

Outlook: Officials are urging people to stay out of closed mountain areas, protect the head and neck and leave quickly if hornets appear, and carry an epinephrine auto-injector if they have a history of severe sting allergies.