Updated

An Italian man shot in the head on New Year's Eve has survived completely unharmed after sneezing out the bullet.

Darco Sangermano, 28, was rushed to hospital after being hit by a stray bullet as he celebrated with his girlfriend.

The bullet, a .22 caliber, entered the right side of his head, passed behind his eye through the socket, hit a bone in his nose and lodged itself in his right nostril.

Covered in blood, but still conscious, Sangermano then sneezed out the bullet, and apart from a headache, told doctors he felt fine.

The shooting happened in Naples, a city known for lively end-of-year celebrations involving fireworks and live ammunition.

He needed surgery just to clean up the wound and get rid of the bone fragments.

"He was a very lucky man, he could have been killed," Dr. Sid Berrone said. "The bullet went through his temple, behind his eye, entered the nasal cavity and then became lodged in his nostril before he sneezed it out. Amazing."

Two others were hit by bullets on the same evening, while another person died after being hit by a stray round during the festivities.

"We expect him to make a full recovery, he won’t even lose the sight of his eye," Berrone added.