Egyptian archaeologists are near to completing a scan of the 4,500-year-old pyramid as the search for burial compartments. Dr Zahi Hawass, former Minister of State for Antiquities Affairs in Egypt is heading up the project.

"It's running right now, and if it manages to detect on of the three chambers we know exist inside, then we will continue the scans," he said. Thermal scans were first performed on the Giza pyramid in 2015. Anomalies were found in the temperature of three adjacent stones at its base. Experts believe this could be due to the presence of voids beneath the surface, according to a Times report. The work is expected to yield results at the end of June.

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Hawass was asked by Egypt's Ministry of Antiquities to lead the scientific team that will examine the scan results. Previously, sceptical of the thermal scanning technology, Hawass says he is now open to the possibility of an undiscovered burial chamber lying hidden with the pyramids huge stone blocks, which weigh up to 15 tons.

Speaking outside the Great Pyramid with Egypt's current Antiquities Minister, Khaled El-Anani, Hawass said: "You need Egyptologists to oversee all this, otherwise mistakes can be made," he said. "I hope these scans will help us obtain accurate information," he said, adding that he hoped to discover another burial chamber inside, according to Phys.org.

Anani inspected the Giza Pyramids area on 3 June to follow up the progress of its restoration project. Improvements include building a visitor centre and operating a shuttle bus service to transport visitors from the entrance gate to the archaeological site, Anani said.

The project started in 2009 with a budget of EGP350m (£27m, $39.4m), but was stopped in 2011 due to the start of the Egypt uprising. But work has started again late last year, he said.