A boy was rescued after accidentally shooting his face with a harpoon in Thailand.

Nong Faye, 12, was rushed to the hospital with the 3ft-long dart lodged in his eye socket on December 14.

He had gone to his friend's house to play with his pals in Chaiyaphum province when one of the group pulled out his father's spear gun to show off.

As the youngsters fiddled with the deadly hunting weapon, its trigger was accidentally set off, launching the harpoon into Faye's eye socket. It pierced near the bridge of his nose and was embedded next to his right eye.

The panicked boys called adults for help and rode to Faye's house on a motorcycle to inform his family of the accident.

However, upon arrival at the Phu Khiao Hospital, Faye's family were told to transfer the injured child to the better-equipped Srinagarind Hospital in Khon Kaen province.

Faye's older sister, May, said: 'Faye told me that the gun suddenly went off. They were pointing it at each other, but it launched when the arrow was aimed at him.

'It was an accident because they were just playing around.'

Faye is still under intensive care following the surgery, with the harpoon successfully removed from his face.

Doctors said the projectile had missed his eyeball, but they were unsure if the accident would affect his vision. He will be assessed again next week.