A mysterious tunnel has been discovered running from a flat in Shenzhen's Shatoujiao into Hong Kong, the Daily Sunshine reported Sunday.

The tunnel could have been used to smuggle goods or illegal immigrants, the paper said.

It had been filled with sand and cement Saturday when a reporter arrived at a ground-floor flat in Haitao Garden, Haitao Road, Shatoujiao, which borders Hong Kong with a shopping street shared by both sides.

The tunnel, which construction workers said was only 1.5 meters high and one meter wide, started from inside the flat and extended for at least 25 meters into Hong Kong territory.

The flat has been rented since July 1997 and the owner was told last November that authorities had discovered the tunnel.

Local police gave no details of their investigation.

Smuggling once thrived in Shatoujiao as smugglers took advantage of the narrow Zhongying Street shared by Shenzhen and Hong Kong.

Last year, police from both cities uncovered a gang of smugglers who slid smuggled goods on an overhead wire across the street at night.

(Shenzhen Daily August 25, 2003)