An Australian tourist was seriously injured when he shot himself in his head with a handgun at a shooting range in Phuket province on Friday afternoon.

The 25-year-old Cook Jayden Antony went to the shooting range in Thalang district on Thursday to practice shooting.  He went there again the following day, this time shirtless, to practice with a .45 calibre automatic pistol.

An official at the shooting range told police that he found the young tourist odd and gave him only two bullets for the practice.

The tourist fired one shot at the practice target before turning the gun on his head and pulled the trigger.  Officials at the range rushed to his rescue and had him sent to a hospital.