China submersible to attempt 7,000-meter dive

Beijing: A Chinese manned deep-sea submersible Sunday left for Mariana Trench, the deepest part of the Pacific Ocean, to attempt a 7,000-meter dive.

Jiaolong, named after a mythical sea dragon and world`s first manned submersible designed to reach such depths, will attempt the feat between mid-June and early July.

It succeeded in diving 5,188 meters in the Pacific Ocean last summer, enabling China to conduct scientific surveys in 70 percent of the world`s seabed, Xinhua reported.

IANS