Two Australian students shot in New Orleans in alleged drug deal

Two Australian students from Western Australia's Curtin University have been shot and injured during an alleged drug deal in New Orleans.

New Orleans police spokesman Dave Badie told AAP that the men, aged 21 and 23, had been in New Orleans' popular French Quarter at about 4:00 a.m. on Wednesday before deciding to buy drugs across the Mississippi River in the residential suburb of Algiers.

Badie said he was unsure what type of drugs the Australian students were trying to purchase.

"We are trying to get surveillance video, but we don't have anything like that," he said.

One of the students is believed to have suffered a gunshot wound to the chest, the other in the stomach.

Ken Daley, a New Orleans crime reporter, told the ABC on Thursday the area the men ventured into is known for its crime.

"The area they were in, frankly, is one that is very well known for drug and violent gun activity at times, so it really was not the best place for them to be in and certainly not at four in the morning and it's unfortunate that they have learned a very harsh lesson of that," Daley said.

The ABC reported on Thursday that Curtin University Vice-Chancellor Professor Deborah Terry said the university was providing support and assistance to the injured students and their families.

"This is a very distressing situation and our thoughts are with the injured students and their families," Terry said.

The students were in the U.S. city for the Intercollegiate Mining Games in Montana.