Two people have been arrested for digging a hole with an excavator in the Great Wall of China, state broadcaster CCTV reported on Tuesday. The police of the province of Shanxi (Northeast) followed the traces of the device which was used by the two suspects to create a hole through the wall, classified in 1987 as a World Heritage Site by Unesco. The two suspects are a 38-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman, CNN reports.
During their interrogation, they admitted that they wanted to create a shortcut and reduce the duration of their journeys, according to CCTV. The state broadcaster reported that the two suspects caused “irreversible damage” to the wall, a remnant of military fortifications built by Chinese emperors to deter foreign invaders.
Police in Shanxi Province (northeast of the country) followed the tracks of the device which was used by the two suspects to create a hole through the 32nd Great Wall of the monument, listed since 1987 as a World Heritage Site. Unesco. The police had been warned as early as August 24 by multiple reports pointing out that a large hole had been spotted in this part of the Ming Great Wall, the most popular and best preserved part of the monument, located in the Youyu county.
Nearly 30% of the Great Wall, in its most famous portion built by the Ming, has now disappeared, in particular because of looting, according to a study published in 2016. The total length of this line of fortifications is estimated at more 20,000 kilometres, counting missing segments.
