An attempted suicide failed after an 84-year-old Argentine man who shot himself five times in the head miraculously survived.

The man also shot himself once in the stomach, state news agency Telam reported today.

"Despite the serious injuries he was even conscious when we found him. He could not speak, but he sat on a stool and made himself understood through gestures," police officer Herman Ruben Gab was quoted as saying.

The man, who lived alone, reportedly used a very old gun and ammunition. The gunpowder did not explode with as much power as would normally occur, according to police.

"Otherwise the first shot would already have been fatal," Gab said.