The BBC reports that part of the Great Wall of China was severely damaged by construction workers in the central Shanxi province, who used an excavator to break through it.
Police say the two workers are suspected of trying to take shortcuts to the construction site where they worked. Both are detained, and the case is under further investigation.
A 38-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman worked near the affected area. They dug a “large gap” by widening the existing cavity of the Great Wall so that an excavator could pass through it. According to the police, by doing so they wanted to shorten the distance they had to travel to work.
The police also stressed that they caused “irreparable damage to the integrity of the Ming Great Wall and the preservation of cultural relics.”
Located in Yuyu County, the Ming Dynasty section of the Great Wall of China is classified as a provincially protected heritage site.
The Great Wall of China, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987, was constantly built and rebuilt from around 220 BC until the Ming Dynasty in the 1600s when it was the largest military installation in the world.
The best-preserved sections were built during the 14th and 17th centuries of the Ming Dynasty. By the way, one of them is now “adorned” with a huge hole.