Boy (13) shot dead by grandfather on hunting trip

The first weekend of the hunting season in France was marred by two deaths - including a teenage boy who was shot by his grandfather.

The 13-year-old was killed by a rifle shot to the head on Sunday morning during a hunting trip near Luçon in Vendée in the Pays de la Loire region. According to reports, he was accidentally shot by his grandfather when he picked up a bird.

The boy was transported by helicopter to hospital in Nantes but died of his injuries, local police said.

Elsewhere, a 57-year-old man died in an accident while hunting on Saturday in Clans in the Alpes-Maritimes region.

Police said witnesses told them the man had just dismembered the carcass of an animal and, while attempting to throw its viscera from the top of a ravine, lost his balance and fell almost 150 metres. He died of his injuries.

Meanwhile, a man and his 12-year-old son were shot and injured by another hunter on Sunday morning at Collobrières, in the Var department of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region.

It was initially believed they had suffered life-threatening injuries, but it later emerged that the pair, well known in the area, had suffered less serious wounds.

The shooter said he was aiming at a deer. An inquiry has been opened.