Arrow pierces student's face during archery training

A Form Four boy in Gurun, Kedah went through a horrific experience when an arrow pierced through the left side of his face in a freak incident yesterday evening.

The arrow was accidentally fired by a friend during archery training at a secondary school around 3.30pm yesterday.

Kuala Muda police chief ACP Adzli Abu Shah said the victim was rushed to the Sultan Abdul Halim Hospital in Sungai Petani, and doctors managed to remove the arrow.

"The doctor also confirmed that the arrow did not hit (the victim's) eyeball, and only grazed the nerves on the left eye," he said in a statement today.

Commenting on the incident, Adzli said the victim who was training for a state-level competition with three friends, namely two Form Four girls and a Form Five boy, was walking past a target when he was hit by the arrow shot by one of the girls.

"The female student noticed the victim passing in front of her and tried to lower her bow, but accidentally set off the arrow which hit the victim's left eye," he said.

Adzli said according to witnesses, no teacher was overseeing the training session during the incident, and the students had taken the archery equipment from the store themselves.

He said the victim is in stable condition and the police have initiated an inquiry into the incident. — Bernama