BEIJING, China: Two individuals have been apprehended for using an excavator to dig a hole in the Great Wall of China, as reported by the state broadcaster CCTV.
Police in Shanxi province tracked the trail left by the heavy machinery employed to create a shortcut through a segment of the wall, which stands as a historical remnant of the immense structure constructed by China’s emperors to deter foreign invaders.
Upon questioning, the suspects admitted to using the excavator to carve out this unauthorized shortcut to reduce local travel time, according to state media reports.
The construction of the Great Wall, comprised of sections that collectively span thousands of kilometers, commenced in the third century BC and continued for centuries.
The affected area of the Great Wall, located approximately six hours west of central Beijing, dates back to China’s Ming Dynasty, which ruled from the 14th to the 17th centuries.
CCTV, the state broadcaster, revealed that the suspects had inflicted “irreversible damage” to the Ming-era wall, which was previously described as a “relatively intact” section of significant research value. Images broadcasted on Chinese state TV depicted the incident’s aftermath, revealing a dusty path carved through an extended, raised area of terrain that appeared to be part of the ancient barrier.
“Currently, the two suspects have been criminally detained under the law, and the case is continuing to be investigated,” as stated by CCTV.
