A quick-thinking fisherman jumped into a river to escape a deadly hornet attack.

Songsak Iamtara was relaxing on a chair on his boat bow while fishing in Srinakarin dam in Kanchanaburi province. Thailand on September 22.

However, as Songsak looked over the horizon checking his route, his boat grazed past a dead tree standing in the water that happened to be housing two hornet nests.

Soon after, a swarm of angry insects emerged and divebombed Songsak – forcing him to jump into the water to avoid the attack.

He was stung eight times but avoided a potentially deadly pile-on from the powerful insects, which could have been much worse.

The fisherman, who later emerged from the water, said: ‘I knew I had to jump when all of them started attacking me. I had to stay in the water for quite some time before it was safe enough to climb up.’

Songsak was stung by more than eight hornets but fortunately, he was able to return to the banks immediately and rushed to the hospital.

The stings were treated at the local hospital right away and he had been discharged on the same day after receiving some medicine.