Beijing: A manned Chinese submersible with three divers on board was raised to the surface after setting the country's deep-sea diving record of more than 6,000 meters in the Pacific Ocean.
The dive, which began at 9 am Friday in Mariana Trench, was the first of six scheduled dives. Jiaolong took three hours to reach the depth of 6,671 meters at noon Friday.
Last July, Jiaolong had hit the 5,188-meter mark, the Global Times reported Saturday.
Divers Ye Cong, Cui Weicheng and Yang Bo, are in good health.
Jiaolong's fifth and sixth dives aim to reach a depth of 7,000 meters.
The dives will be made in daylight to ensure safety of the crew.
The Mariana Trench is the deepest part of the Pacific Ocean.
Jiaolong has enabled China to join the ranks of other countries, including the US, Japan, France and Russia, which have manned deep-sea submersible vessels.
IANS
First Published: Sunday, June 17, 2012, 10:38