Kathmandu, Dec 8 (IANS): The Nepal government on Tuesday revealed that the revised height of mount Everest, the tallest peak in the world, is 8,848.86 metres.

The announcement was made here by the Department of Survey in a virtual programme attended by Nepali and Chinese officials, reports The Himalayan Times newspaper.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Pradeep Kumar Gyawali and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi were present at the virtual programme, who read out the letters written by their respective heads-of-the-state — President Bidya Devi Bhandari and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The former height of the mountain, 8,848 metres, was measured in 1954 by Survey of India.

Nepal decided to re-measure the peak after speculations that the widely accepted height might not be the actual height after the 2015 earthquake.

Officials of the government had coordinated with China, who sent its own team to measure the height of the Everest.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Pradeep Kumar Gyawali and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi were present at the virtual programme, who read out the letters written by their respective heads-of-the-state — President Bidya Devi Bhandari and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Also present at the programme was Minister for Land Management, Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation Padma Kumari Aryal.

The former height of the mountain, 8848 metres, was measured in 1954 by Survery of India.

Nepal decided to remeasure the peak after speculations that the widely accepted height might not be the actual height after the 2015 earthquake.

Officials of the government had coordinated with China, who sent its own team to measure the height of the Everest.

Nepal and China had agreed to jointly announce the revised height during President Xi's visit in 2019.