Rethink on Mount Everest measurements

The world’s tallest mountain, Mount Everest, is shorter than previously thought, Chinese scientists who measured the peak earlier this year said today.

Their survey determined the mountain was 8,844.43 metres (29,017.16 feet), or 3.7 metres (12.14 feet) shorter than when it was last measured 30 years ago, said Chen Bangzhu, a spokesman with the Chinese State Bureau of Surveying and Mapping.