Underwater glider sets dive record

Mission in the Mariana Trench, the deepest place on Earth, a milestone

Haiyan, the advanced, automated underwater glider developed by China, set a world record by diving 8,213 meters, almost 1,900 meters deeper than the previous best, engineers said on Sunday.

Experts said the dive represents a major milestone in the development of China's underwater research equipment, which will collect valuable data for scientific, economic and military purposes.