Scary biblical plague of the flying insects swarms Rhode Island beach

A massive swarm of dragonflies descended on a Rhode Island beach forcing terrified beachgoers to take cover as their day in the sun became something reminiscent of biblical plague. Beachgoers were heard screaming as a cloud of insects swarmed Misquamicut State Beach in Westerly on Saturday afternoon.

Video shows how a swarm of dragonflies buzzed across the beach and past the dozens of scared visitors, whipping over towels, through umbrellas and past beachgoers' bodies. Children were heard screaming as they swatted away at the bugs with shovels and sand toes. Some sunbathers packed up their things and left, while others hunkered down and took shelter in their car.

Witnesses recalled how other visitors seemingly embraced the chaotic 'invasion'. They stood and watched as the bugs flew past, with some even 'trying to catch them'. Helene Dombrowski, who filmed the eery incident, estimates there were 'hundreds' of dragonflies on the beach when she arrived Saturday around 9.30am.

By noon, she claims that 'millions' of insects 'flying pretty fast' had swarmed the beach, located roughly 50 miles from the capital city of Providence. 'Holy [expletive]. Look at this, oh my God,' Dombrowski, 52, said as she captured footage of the 'beautiful' incident. 'Look at the swarm over here. I've never seen anything like this in my life.' She laughed as the insects flew over her and her companions.

Although Dombrowski was somewhat wowed by the phenomenon, she recalled how other beachgoers seemed quite afraid. 'Some people were screaming while others were trying to catch them,' she told Storyful. Richard Sontag, who was among the thousands of beachgoers subjected to the swarm, branded the incident an 'invasion.'

Stephanie Martin told WCVB : 'I was enjoying a nice day at Misquamicut State Beach until we endured a dragonfly apocalypse.' Another witness claimed the sight was 'amazing' and says he was 'agog with the sheer number of them'. 'One of those spectacles of nature that you very rarely get to see so I was all happy,' Mark Stickney, 63, told The Boston Globe.

Dombrowski, who claims the massive swarm only lasted about five minutes, added: 'I thought it was beautiful. I was very lucky to experience it. I've never seen anything like that. Maybe a few dozen at a time of dragonflies, but never in that amount.'

Dragonfly swarms tend to occur in the summer months when the insects are breeding or after the smaller insects they feed on are kicked into the air by human or weather disturbances, WBUR reported.

Individual swarms can include billions of dragonflies and have, in some instances, been so large that they are detected by radar systems.

Dragonflies feed on mosquitos and various flies, but can also prey on small mammals like hummingbirds. Although a massive swarm can appear scary, experts say dragonflies pose no threat to humans.

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