According to state broadcaster CCTV, two persons were detained in China after they were accused of using an excavator to reportedly destroy a portion of the Great Wall in the province of Shanxi in the country’s north.
According to Youyu County officials, they learned on August 24 that a wall breach had occurred in Yangqianhe Township, according to CCTV.
Following an investigation, authorities discovered a 38-year-old male and a 55-year-old woman had breached the wall with an excavator to make a passageway, resulting in “irreversible” harm to the integrity and safety of that section of the wall, according to the broadcaster.
The inquiry, according to police, is ongoing.
The region, also known as the 32nd Great Wall, is one of the Ming dynasty’s (1368–1644) remaining full walls and watch towers and is designated as a provincial cultural relic site. In 1987, the Great Wall received the UNESCO World Heritage designation.