PRAYAGRAJ, Feb. 21 -- A swarm of bees attacked a group of students from Kasturba Gandhi Residential School during an educational tour to Chandrashekhar Azad Park in Prayagraj on Friday, triggering panic and a brief stampede. As many as 52 students were injured and taken to SRN Hospital and the Children's Hospital for treatment. Three girls, said to be in critical condition, were admitted to the ICU. Departmental officials reached the hospitals shortly after receiving information about the incident. A group of 101 students from Kasturba Gandhi Residential Schools in the trans-Ganga region including Phulpur, Saidabad, Pratappur and Bahadurpur blocks had reached the park earlier in the day along with their teachers. The bee attack occurred around 2 pm. As the students screamed and ran for safety, several teachers were also stung while trying to shield them. After receiving calls from the teachers, officials arranged ambulances to rush the injured students to hospital. Of the 52 hurt, 42 were admitted to SRN Hospital and 10 to the Children's Hospital. Three girls in critical condition were shifted to the ICU at SRN Hospital. According to the education department, the incident may have been triggered when some sanitation workers cleaned and collected garbage beneath a tree and set it ablaze. A large beehive was attached to the same tree, and the resulting smoke is believed to have agitated the bees, leading them to attack the nearby students. However, some eyewitnesses in the park claimed the swarm was provoked after a young man allegedly hit the hive with a brick. SRN Hospital's chief medical superintendent, Dr Neelam Singh, confirmed that all injured students were treated in the Emergency Medicine department. Apart from the three ICU cases, the remaining girls were discharged after receiving medical care. District magistrate Manish Kumar Verma described the matter as serious and directed the chief medical officer and the garden superintendent to investigate the source of the bees and the events leading up to the attack. He also instructed the CMO to ensure that the injured students receive uninterrupted medical care. Basic education officer, Prayagraj Anil Kumar stated that the injured students were promptly taken to hospitals with the help of block education officers and the district coordinator. Earlier, on Wednesday, a 65-year-old cricket umpire Manik Gupta-a long-time member of the Kanpur Cricket Association's umpiring panel-died after a swarm of bees attacked players and officials during a junior league match at Rahul Sapru ground in Shuklaganj, Unnao. Six others were injured....