A LITTLE boy has been air-lifted to hospital after he was accidentally shot by his 11-year-old cousin with a gun in southern Queensland.

Queensland Police confirmed to news.com.au the boy who accidentally fired the rifle was the five-year-old’s cousin.

A spokesman from police said they believed it to be a tragic accident.

A Queensland Ambulance spokeswoman said that just after 6pm yesterday, paramedics transfered a boy with a facial wound from Stanthorpe Hospital to Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital in Brisbane.

QAS could not confirm where exactly the five-year-old was shot but said he was in a stable condition on arrival.

The shooting occured at a property on Granite Belt Drive at Cottonvale, a town 2.5 hours south of Brisbane.

A spokeswoman from Lady Cilento Hospital confirmed to news.com.au the boy is currently in a critical but stable condition.