File photo.

Newsroom

02.01.2026 • 10:23

A 16-year-old boy was hospitalized in critical condition after suffering a severe head injury when a hunting rifle accidentally discharged in a village in the Ziros municipality in Preveza, northwestern Greece, authorities said.

According to state broadcaster ERT, the teenager was taken to the University Hospital of Ioannina on Thursday afternoon and admitted to the intensive care unit after undergoing hours-long surgery.

Doctors said they were cautiously optimistic but stressed that his condition remains critical, adding that several days would be needed before they could assess the likely course of his recovery.

ERT reported that earlier in the day, the boy had taken his father’s hunting rifle, described as a flobert-type firearm, and gone into the yard of his home to hunt birds. He reportedly slipped and fell, causing the weapon to discharge and seriously injure him.

The boy was initially transported by ambulance to Arta General Hospital, where he received first aid and was intubated, before being transferred to Ioannina for surgery. Authorities are investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident.