VIENNA - A 50-YEAR-OLD Austrian man has built more than 700,000 coffins over two decades, setting a world record, his employer said on Tuesday.

Herbert Webter has built 707,335 coffins for his company, Moser, where he has worked since 1978 in the central town of St-Michael-im-Lungau.

His feat has been certified by Guinness World Records, his company said.

He will receive his certificate at a party in his honour during the International Funeral Home and Cemetery Fair in Salzburg on Saturday, Moser said. -- AFP