BEIJING, CHINA - THREE journalists were injured in south-west China when a gun went off at a press conference called by Chinese police to highlight the success of a gun-control campaign, state media said.

The press conference took place in Nanchong in Sichuan province to publicise the results of a campaign by the city's police to seize illegal weapons, the Beijing News reported on Friday.

According to Mr Zheng Chongjun, deputy head of the political division of Nanchong police, some of the reporters asked to take photos of the guns seized, the newspaper reported.

One of the police officials mishandled a homemade weapon, releasing the trigger and dropping it to the ground.

It was unclear from the report whether the gun contained bullets or shotgun pellets but it said one local journalist needed surgery after being hit in several areas of the body including his ankle, crotch, and chest. -- AFP