Johannesburg – A 10-year-old girl accidentally shot and killed her mother with an air rifle her brother got as a Christmas present, Beeld reported on Friday.

The 45-year-old woman died in a Cape Town hospital on Christmas eve, following the accident in Oude Westhoff, Bellville.

The rifle was a Chrismas present for the girl’s older brother.

Police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel André Traut told Beeld they were investigating.

SAPA