Two people have been detained in China after allegedly damaging a section of the Great Wall with an excavator to create a shortcut.
Authorities in Youyu County said they received a report on August 24 that a gap in the wall was created in Yangqianhe Township, in the northern Shanxi province.
After an investigation, police found a 38-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman had used an excavator to breach the wall in order to create a shortcut to pass through.
The act caused "irreversible" damage to the integrity and safety of that portion of the wall, according to local media.
Police said the investigation was ongoing.
The area, known as the 32nd Great Wall, is one of the surviving complete walls and watch towers dated back to the Ming dynasty (1368-1644), and is listed as a provincial cultural relic site.
The Great Wall was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.
