Boy drinks petrol to become Transformer

A nine-year-old Chinese boy has been left seriously ill after drinking petrol in order to turn him into a Transformer-type robot.

Xiao Fang, from Xingwen in eastern China, reportedly drank the petrol in secret, sipping it as he ate food in the belief that it could help him emulate the powers of robotic superheroes such as the Transformers.

However he has been left critically ill and has suffered serious nerve damage.

A doctor treating him said: "I am amazed he kept it down."

The boy's parents admitted their suspicions had been aroused by a strange smell.

"I wondered about the smell of petrol in our home," said Xiao Fang's father.