City of the dead: An underground catacombs being built in Jerusalem

A huge network of catacombs excavated beneath a mountain over the past two years will provide enough space for 22,000 graves

An underground 'city of the dead' is being built in Jerusalem after the holy city ran out of burial plots.

A huge network of catacombs excavated beneath a mountain over the past two years will provide enough space for 22,000 graves.

Tunnels half a mile long and a network of lifts connecting the outside world with the crypts have been dug out of the ground.

Specialist drilling teams have bored down 45 metres under the Mount of the Resting to build the unique city.

The two-year project, costing £37million, is scheduled for completion at the Har HaMenuchot Cemetery - Israel's largest - next year.

And it should mean there's enough space for the city's dead at the cemetary for the next 25 years.