A tragic accident took place in Coín, Málaga, when a boy died in an accidental shooting involving a pellet-gun on Wednesday evening.
A Portuguese couple had decided to spend their Easter break with their two children, aged eight and twelve in the house of family relatives.
On Wednesday night other couples arrived with their children but whilst the adults were distracted, one of the kids found the airgun and they began playing with it.
Suddenly, the 12-year old received a shot to the chest from a very short distance, causing his death.
A Policía Local patrol, which was the first to arrive, had been near to hand directing traffic whilst a Semana Santa procession was in progress. Both the police and the ambulance crew tried to revive the child during some 40 minutes but to no avail.
The Guardia Civil have begun an investigation into the accident, both to find out if the boy had accidently shot himself whilst handling it or whether another child was involved. They also took the owner of the weapon in for questioning but released him without bail.
The Mayor of Coín declared a day of mourning.
(News: Coin, Malaga, Andalucia)