VIDEO: Swarm of bees invades van, shuts down traffic in Midtown Manhattan

MIDTOWN, Manhattan (WABC) -- A swarm of yellow bees surrounded a van in Midtown Manhattan Friday, prompting police to close down a block and pedestrians to run in fear.

The bees were swarming around a yellow work van parked on East 47th Street between Fifth Avenue and Madison Avenue.
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The ordeal started at about 11:30 a.m. and continued through mid-afternoon.

Watch raw video showing the swarm here:

Police closed a portion of East 47th Street to vehicular traffic, and people were kept from walking on the south side of the street.
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NYPD's beekeeper was called to the scene to remove the bees.

It wasn't immediately clear how many bees were involved or why they were swarming the van.