Sue Lalor and husband Peter were nearing the top of the 200metre landmark when a stampede of screaming people ran down the narrow staircase towards them.
They bolted towards an overcrowded safety cage installed as protection against the frequent attacks but it was so full Peter got trapped outside.
Frightened tourists take shelter during a wasp attack in Sri Lanka. Australian Sue Lalor said hysterical families were screaming inside the shelter during the attack
Sue Lalor (pictured) was visiting Sri Lanka with her husband Peter when the pair were caught in a wasp attack
Speaking from Sri Lanka where the Sydney couple were celebrating their 20th wedding anniversary, Mrs Lalor said ‘all hell broke loose’ when the swarm descended on the group.
She told Daily Mail Australia: ‘We could hear screaming and then we saw people running down the stairs.
‘Peter couldn’t fit inside the shelter and he had to hide outside under a tarpaulin.
‘There were families and children inside the shelter who were hysterical and screaming. They tell you you’re meant to stay quiet and calm in a wasp attack.’
The Lalors were climbing to the top of Sigirya Rock (pictured) when they heard screaming from a group up ahead
Panicked tourists bolted for safety inside this mesh shelter. It was so overcrowded that some tourists were left outside, screaming in pain as they were repeatedly stung
Tourists who did not make it to safety screamed in pain and writhed in agony on the ground while the swarm attacked them, Mrs Lalor said.
Luckily her husband managed to wriggle out from the tarpaulin and slip inside the shelter.
Others were less fortunate.
‘There were people stuck on the stairs outside getting attacked,’ she said.
A tourist is pictured through the protective netting pulling a wasp sting from another man's face
Mrs Lalor takes shelter inside the netting. She said: 'People tried to come down the stair case to find shelter but they were all attacked'
She continued: ‘One Chinese man was so badly stung his entire body was covered. He couldn’t even speak. He was semi-conscious. He was in a bad way.
‘People tried to come down the stair case to find shelter but they all were attacked.’
Eventually staff at the monument rallied and drove away the swarm with kerosene and smoke screens.
Then began the task of moving the traumatised and injured group back to ground level.
‘One Chinese woman had to be carried down the stairs,’ Mrs Lalor said.
‘She couldn’t even walk.’
A staff member at the UNESCO Heritage Site dons a protective suit to ward off the wasps. He is pictured through the netting of a protective cage
Sigirya Rock, or Lion Rock, is an ancient monument in central Sri Lanka.
Visitors must climb 200metres of winding, single-file staircases to reach the peak.
Wasp attacks are common at Sigirya Rock – the attack the Lalors were caught in was reportedly the third that week.
Despite their frequent occurrence, Mrs Lalor said staff at the UNESCO Heritage Site were not well prepared for the emergency.
One attendant was so traumatised by an incident three days earlier he shook as he tried to close the door to the safety cage.
Mrs Lalor said: ‘Staff really tried hard to help but they just did not seem prepared.
‘It was unclear who was in charge and the safety cage was packed.
‘They struggled to find their protective suits or the spray repellant to drive off the wasps.’
Sigirya Rock is an ancient Sri Lanka monument and popular tourist spot that looks over iconic water gardens. Pictured is the view from the top of rocks
When the couple asked locals why they did not try and get rid of the wasps they were told that mother nature had thwarted previous attempts.
‘One local said the rock was struck by lighting the last time they tried to get of them.
‘They haven’t tried ever since.’
The couple were speaking out about the ordeal so other tourists eyeing up a trip to Sigirya Rock went into the experience with their eyes open.
‘People need to know about this stuff,’ Mrs Lalor said.
‘It was awful.’
(by Steven Trask - dailymail.co.uk/news)
