A four-year-old boy was shot in a freak accident after a passing motorcycle rider dropped a shotgun which hit the ground and fired into a house.

The youngster was sitting in the front porch of the home in Yala, southern Thailand when Abdul Ramae rode by with a passenger on the back last Thursday (May 14).

CCTV footage shows the moment the careless rider accidentally dropped the gun onto the road, which triggered it and fired a bullet.

The stray fire flew into a nearby house where the youngster was sitting. He suffered wounds to his chest from the scattergun shot.

Shocked relatives ran outside when they heard the noise and found him bleeding.

Abdul Ramae was seen turning around to collect the gun before leaving the scene.

Officers later tracked down the motorbike rider who claimed to be unaware that the gun had injured the boy.

Investigators said that the motorcyclist was carrying the gun illegally.

Police Lieutenant Suranan Chobngam said: "The suspect will be charged for his negligence that caused harm to the others.

"Moreover, we will have to investigate further his intention of having a gun as he was in possession of it illegally.''

The boy was taken to hospital for treatment and is now in a stable condition.