An Indonesian soldier trying to check whether the firearm of a senior officer was empty before boarding a flight in Papua has killed a young boy and critically injured the child's father.
The Jakarta Globe reports that a soldier wanted to ensure a fellow soldier's pistol was not loaded before a flight from Mopah Airport in Merauke, and discharged the weapon.
The gun fired a shot into a wooden partition and killed a six-year-old boy in a passenger waiting area on the other side.
The boy's 32-year-old father was also hit and remains in a critical condition.
Merauke Military Police say they are investigating the incident.
