A 5-year-old girl in the central province of Quang Tri was shot dead by a bullet that was fired accidentally from a shot-gun played by a 13-year-old boy on Friday.

The deceased was Nguyen Ngoc Dieu Chau and the gun player was her neighbor Nguyen Van Tho. Both of them are living in Cam Lo district.

The victim’s family said that on Sept 6, Vo Van Thien, 40, put his shot-gun on his motorbike after going shooting in a nearby forest. His nephew Tho saw the gun and curiously played with it when an accidental discharge happened, leading to the death of Chau.

Since Tho unintentionally opened fire and he is not old enough, he is temporarily not facing any criminal charges, according to Nguyen Thanh Long, deputy head of Cam Lo’s police department.

But his uncle Thien could face charges. His shot-gun has been sent to the provincial military center for examination to identify if it is a gun for military use or not. Under Vietnamese laws, civilians are banned from using and storing military weapons.