British tourist shot dead in Ethiopia in 'gun accident' in church

Gun was 'accidentally discharged while being changed from one shoulder to the other'

Alex Diaz
Thursday 25 December 2014 20:04 GMT
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The shooting happened in the Ethiopian city of Bahir Dar
The shooting happened in the Ethiopian city of Bahir Dar

A British tourist has been killed in Ethiopia, the Foreign Office said.

The British national was shot dead in the north western Ethiopian city of Bahir Dar at 10:30am local time yesterday, according to reports.

A suspect has reportedly been arrested and the tourist has been taken to the capital Addis Ababa today for a post mortem.

Government spokesman Shimeles Kema said the suspect had not known the gun was loaded and that the incident happened in a church on the morning of Christmas Eve, Sky News reported.

He said: "It appears that a resident of Bahir Dar, who was licensed to carry a gun, accidentally discharged his gun while changing the gun position from one shoulder to the other."

A spokeswoman for the Foreign Office said: "We can confirm the death of a British national in Ethiopia. We are providing consular assistance to the families.

PA

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