Attacked by Swarm of Wasps, American Father and Son Die in Laos

Asia Pacific|Attacked by Swarm of Wasps, American Father and Son Die in Laos

An American father and his teenage son died after being stung by swarms of venomous wasps on a zip-lining tour through the tropical forests of northern Laos last month.

Daniel Owen, 47, originally from Idaho Falls, Idaho, and his son Cooper, 15, were visiting from Haiphong, Vietnam, where Mr. Owen was the director of QSI International School and Cooper was a student.

The attack occurred on Oct. 15 at an adventure park near the city of Luang Prabang, north of the Thai border. They were eventually taken to a small clinic about 12 miles away, where Dr. Phanomsay Phakan said he tried to help before guiding them to more advanced care.

“The patients stayed at our clinic for a short time because our medical facilities are limited,” Dr. Phanomsay said on Wednesday. “The condition of the father and son was very serious, so they were quickly transferred to a nearby provincial hospital for further treatment.”

Dr. Phanomsay said he was told that they were stung by wasps, but within that grouping are various kinds of hornets that are known to aggressively protect their nests. Asian giant hornets, also known as murder hornets, sting with a venom that contains neurotoxins and tissue-destroying enzymes that can be fatal, especially for those who receive multiple stings.

In the case of Mr. Owen and his son, the exact cause of death was not immediately clear. Luang Prabang Provincial Hospital, where they were taken from Dr. Phanomsay’s clinic, did not respond to a request for clarification. The Laotian health ministry declined to comment.

Swarms by murder hornets are rare but have been reported throughout the region. In southern Vietnam in September, a 34-year-old mother died from an attack by what appeared to be murder hornets after shielding her 3-year-old son, who ended up in intensive care. The authorities said a group of children had accidentally disturbed a nest. At least one of the children later died from multiple stings.

In a statement, Green Jungle Park, where the attack on Mr. Owen and his son occurred, said that it had reviewed its procedures, and has “further enhanced aspects of our emergency response protocols, including the evacuation process for the zip-line course.”

“This event is unprecedented in our experience and, to our understanding, in Luang Prabang as well,” the park said. “It was an unforeseeable and extraordinary natural occurrence.”

The deaths have only gradually come to be known, and grieved. Mr. Owen’s family requested privacy so news spread quietly across continents over the past few weeks. Their deaths were first reported publicly on Tuesday by The Times of London.

Mr. Owen was part of an often unheralded group that shapes countless lives in many countries — international educators, missionaries for knowledge who welcome frequent moves to new cities and classrooms that value striving, global thinking and travel.

Quality Schools International opened its first school in Sanaa, Yemen, in 1971. The nonprofit network now operates around 35 schools worldwide.

In Mr. Owen’s latest home of Haiphong, a rapidly growing port city in northern Vietnam surrounded by industrial parks, the deaths have been devastating.

“He was deeply loved across our community and will be profoundly missed,” the nonprofit said in a statement posted to Facebook. He had spent 18 years teaching with Quality Schools International in five locations.

Many former students from a Q.S.I. school in Dongguan, China, said they always remembered the extra time and effort he spent with them — even if they couldn’t speak strong English or confessed that they lacked the money to pay for college.

Cherrie Martija worked with Mr. Owen in Dongguan and was Cooper’s preschool teacher 12 years ago.

She said she could still recall how Mr. Owen would sometimes leave a Dr Pepper Cherry soda or any cherry-flavored snacks on her table — a play on her first name — with a small note “that never failed to make me smile.”

“He would often visit my classroom and the preschool teachers and have a chat with us before or after class,” she said. “I remember him quietly stopping by just to see Cooper learn and play. You could truly see the love in his eyes.”

Kittiphum Sringammuang contributed reporting.