site.btaUPDATED Child Evacuated by Air Force Helicopter in Critical Condition after Air Gun Injury

An 18-month-old child with an air gun injury was flown from the northwestern town of Vratsa to Sofia by a Bulgarian Air Force helicopter on Saturday, the Interior Ministry told BTA.

The AS 532 Cougar flew the child and a medical team from Vratsa, taking off from Krumovo Air Base in South Central Bulgaria at 6.25 pm and landing in Sofia at 7.45 pm, the Defence Ministry said. The child was taken to the Pirogov accident and emergency hospital after doctors in Vratsa found the injury not compatible with life. After neurosurgery, the patient remains in critical condition on a ventilator, the hospital said on Sunday.

An 11-year-old child who lives in the same house as the younger child is believed to have shot the air gun, which is legally owned by a family member.