A railway link being planned between China and Nepal could include a tunnel under Mount Everest, according to a China state media report.
The existing Qinghai-Tibet line links China with the Tibetan capital Lhasa and an extension to Kathmandu could potentially cut a path underneath the world’s highest peak.
If given the go-ahead it is expected to be completed by 2020, a Tibetan official said according to the China Daily report.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited Kathmandu in December to discuss extending the railway, which would create an important direct link between China and India.
"The line will probably have to go through Qomolangma (Mount Everest) so workers may have to dig some very long tunnels," civil engineering expert Wang Mengshu told the newspaper.
