A 72-year-old woman from Wushan county, Chongqing, died of wasp stings after she used her body to protect her granddaughter from the insects, local media reported on Thursday.

Li Anxiu, a villager from Luoping township in the county, was working in her field on Oct 3 when she heard cries from her 4-year-old granddaughter who was playing at the other end of the field. When she saw swarms of wasps about to attack her granddaughter, she unsnapped her coat, pushed the girl down and covered the girl with her body, Chongqing Evening News reported.

When neighbors came to the rescue, Li had been stung by hundreds of wasps and more were arriving. It took the neighbors more than 20 minutes to drive away the wasps with smoke before sending Li and her granddaughter to a hospital.

Li died on the way to the hospital and her granddaughter, who also suffered stings on her head and hands, is still hospitalized.

Just before she died, Li said she hoped her granddaughter would be out of danger and that she felt guilty she did not take care of her well, the report said.

Wasp stings have also killed 42 people in Ankang, Shaanxi province, since July, with another about 1,600 people hospitalized for stings.