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A two-year-old boy has accidentally shot and killed a 29-year-old woman in an American supermarket.

Reports from the US said the gun went off when the toddler pulled a handgun from the woman's purse and fired it accidentally.

The woman had been shopping with four children in the store in Idaho and was in the shop's electronics department when the tragedy happened.

Local reports claimed the woman was the toddler's mum, but police did not immediately confirm their relationship.

Police said the dead woman, whose name has not been released, had a concealed weapons permit.

Lieutenant Stu Miller of the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office said on Twitter that a woman in her late 20s was killed in a shooting at the Walmart in Hayden.

"Prelim investigation shows shooting was accidental,” he tweeted.

The supermarket was evacuated and closed for the day as police investigated.