NAKHON RATCHASIMA: A fourth-grader was shot in the chest by a fellow student who brought his father's gun to school in Muang district yesterday.
The incident happened on the third floor of Building 7 at Sukhanaree School about 10.15am while the school was hosting a merit-making activity for the New Year.
A doctor said the injured boy was shot in the right side of his chest and the bullet had sliced through both lungs and exited his back on the left side. He was rushed to Maharat Nakhon Ratchasima Hospital.
As of press time, he was in a coma with both lungs ruptured.
The boy had suffered serious injuries while the bullet had also broken one of his ribs, said the doctor, adding that he was being cared for in the intensive care unit of the hospital.
Police investigating the incident said another boy, aged 10, brought the pistol to school and showed it to friends. The pistol went off as he was spinning it in front of his friends in a corridor outside their classroom.
Police said the pistol belonged to the boy's father, who is a soldier serving at the Suranaree camp in the northeastern province.
His father had left the weapon at home while attending a training exercise in another province.
His son had then taken it from the house to impress his schoolmates, they said.
After learning about the incident, parents rushed to the school to take their children home. The school management permitted only fourth-graders to leave for the day.
A parent quoted his child as saying the boy had first shown the pistol to friends last week and had since played with it in school, imitating moves he had seen in video games.