Boy, 4, seriously hurt after being shot at with air rifle

A 4-year-old boy is in hospital with serious injuries after someone shot him with an air rifle in Zwaag, Noord-Holland on Sunday afternoon. The police are investigating.

The boy was playing with friends on Inlaagdijk between 12:30 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. He was sitting on porch near a gate when his chest suddenly started hurting and he had trouble breathing.

His mother took him to the hospital, where doctors found an air rifle bullet in his body. The bullet, which was still in the child's body on Monday afternoon, caused his lung to collapse. The boy is still in hospital and will have to stay there for the time being. His condition is stable, the police said.

The police are looking for the person who shot the child and call on any witnesses to come forward.