Six people were taken to hospital after they were attacked by a swarm of bees in Arizona.The victims were three adults and three children, as residents ran and screamed for help.

Medics counted almost 300 stings on one of the adults following the attack in a two-block-long area in Maricopa.

Two firefighters were also stung during the rescue but did not need treatment at hospital.

It took fire crews about two hours to find the hive in an opened water valve box at one home, the Maricopa fire department said.

The bees were sprayed with foam, and the hive was contained.

During the summer, parts of the state were hit by a particularly aggressive strain of honeybee, with some people being stung so many times they were taken to hospital.

Experts say the state is dealing with the Africanised honeybee, also known as the killer bee, which is a crossbreed between the European honeybee and the African honeybee.

The bees are more prevalent in warm southwestern states such as Arizona, New Mexico and Texas and if their hives are disrupted, they become particularly aggressive.