BLUE EARTH — A young duck hunter on Rice Lake was injured Sunday morning after being hit in the head with shrapnel from an exploding shotgun barrel.

The hunter, who authorities have not identified, was airlifted to St. Marys Hospital in Rochester from United Hospital in Blue Earth. According to a Faribault County Sheriff’s news release, he is in stable condition.

The news release says the hunter was one of five “juveniles,” but does not identify them further.

The release states a juvenile’s gun fell into the water, plugging the barrel with mud. A round was shot from the gun, causing the end of the barrel to explode, and a piece of the barrel hit a hunter standing nearby in the head.

The incident is under investigation by the Faribault County Sheriff’s Office. Calls to Sheriff Mike Gormley went unreturned. The press release does not indicate how the juveniles traveled from Rice Lake to Blue Earth.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and the Blue Earth Police Department assisted at the United Hospital emergency room.