Sydney: A Chinese university student was Friday critical in an Australian hospital after a fellow Phd student allegedly threw acid in his face and then hit him over the head with a hammer.
Police said a 26-year-old man had been charged with attacking a 25-year-old fellow student at a chemistry research laboratory at the University of New South Wales in Sydney on Thursday.
"It's alleged one student threw a chemical, believed to be sulphuric acid, in another student's face before hitting him on the head with a hammer during an altercation," police said in a statement.
Both men are Chinese nationals studying for their PhDs, the university said.
The victim, named by media as Cheng Xiaoyu, was taken to St Vincent's Hospital for emergency treatment but was later moved to Royal North Shore Hospital's Burns Unit where he is in a critical condition in an induced coma.
His alleged attacker, Zhang Rui, appeared in a Sydney court on Friday where he did not make a bail application.
Magistrate Jacqueline Milledge said that Zhang would be transferred to a mental health facility for evaluation before appearing in court again on November 29.
