KUALA LUMPUR — An 11-year-old girl was mistaken for a wild boar and shot dead by her father's friend as the two men walked in the family orchard in a rural Malaysian village, local media reported Sunday.

The men, who knew the girl was playing nearby, called her name several times after seeing a crouching figure behind a pile of sweet potatoes.

When she did not reply, the neighbour fired his shotgun at what he assumed was a wild boar, hitting Nurul Atitah Salleh in the head and killing her instantly, a police spokesman said. — AFP