InsideJapan News Network

A Japanese monk accidentally burned his temple to the ground after being attacked by hornets.

Yuichi Ozaka, an local police official, said the Buddhist monk was attempting to rid his temple of the hornet's nest when the wasps attacked him, making him drop a torch - comprised of lit rags attached to a stick - which ignited the temple in Ojiya City, northern Japan.

The monk, 41-year-old Atsushi Sato, suffered burns to his face, ears and left hand, which said not to be life-threatening, reports the Press Association.

Mr Sato was not stung. He had also previously intended to move his temple to another location after it was damaged during an earthquake. The monk will now have to rebuild the temple from scratch.

With its fearsome orange head, the Japanese hornet is among the largest in the world, measuring up to 45mm in length, according to the National Geographic.