Man builds 'ark' just in case world ends

If the world truly ends on 21 December 2012 as predicted by the Mayans then Chinese man Lu Zhenghai is running out of time.

The Xinjiang man has spent the past two years building an ‘ark’, which he believes will save himself and his family from the predicted flood. Having spent 1 million yuan (US$160,000) of his savings on the project, Lu says the ark had well exceeded his budget and he now needs another million yuan to finish building it. The unfinished boat currently stands 21.1 metres long with a breadth of 15.5 metres. Her total height, once finished, will be around 5.6 metres.

Lu Zhenghai (R) and a visitor smoke inside his boat

Images: Rex