KOTA KINABALU: A farmer was seriously hurt after a homemade shotgun, locally called a bakakuk, accidentally discharged while he was hunting in a forest near Kampung Panganitan in Sabah's interior Nabawan district.
The 28-year-old local man suffered severe injuries to four fingers on his left hand and sustained a fractured rib when the weapon went off after he slipped while walking down a hillside on Monday (July 15).
Keningau OCPD Supt Yampil Anak Garai said initial investigations showed that the victim had gone hunting alone in the area about 3km from his village.
"The man slipped and the bakakuk went off, hitting him in the left hand and chest," he said.
He said the man managed to apply a tourniquet to stop the bleeding from his hand even though he was struggling with the pain.
The victim's younger brother went to search for him after he did not return home, Supt Yampil added.
"The brother found the victim in a weakened state and immediately rushed him to the Nabawan Health Clinic," he said, adding that the victim was later transferred to Hospital Keningau, where he is reported to be in stable condition.
Supt Yampil said police seized the homemade shotgun which the victim inherited from his grandmother two years ago. It was used to protect their farm from foraging boars.
He added that investigations were being carried out under Section 8(a) of the Arms Act 1960.
