COIMBATORE: A day after a 26-year-old tourist from Kerala died in a bee attack at the Needle Rock View Point near Gudalur in The Nilgiris, the forest department banned the entry of tourists to the tourist spot on Thursday.

On Wednesday, three tourists from Kerala - Mohammed Shabbir (26) and his friends Ashif (26) and Sinani (24) - had trespassed into a restricted forest area by ignoring the warnings of the forest department. They allegedly hurled a stone at the hive, causing bees to attack them.

While Mohammed Shabbir swooned and died on the spot, two others survived with critical injuries. The body of the deceased was sent for a postmortem at Gudalur Government Hospital, while two others were admitted to a private hospital in Kerala for treatment.

The tourists were allowed entry to Needle Rock View Point in the morning.

However, the viewpoint was closed later after the forest department officials noticed bees swarming in the tourist area. “Tourists were denied entry for a day considering their safety as bees continue to fly around in the spot,” said a forest department official.