A 71-year-old man was killed when a terrifying swarm of hundreds of aggressive bees attacked him as he was surveying land.

Victim Victor Manuel Rodriguez had failed to notice the deadly swarm heading straight towards him in La Ceiba, in Honduras.

The Africanised bees are a hyper-aggressive hybrid said to be responsible for more than 1,000 human deaths.

Rodriguez – reports local media – had been measuring land to be used to build a winery when he stumbled across a huge hive.

He was taken to hospital but died from multiple bee stings.

His nephew, Marco Antonio Zuniga – who was working with him – told Honduran media: “He had stings all over his body, we couldn’t do anything to save him.”

He added: “My uncle didn’t notice and later he couldn’t escape from them.”

Members of the Honduran Fire Department later arrived to clear the area of the deadly swarm.