Great Wall of China damaged beyond repair by workers looking for shortcut

The Great Wall of China has been “irreversibly damaged” by two construction workers who smashed a hole through the historic structure to create a shortcut. Police say the two people – a man and a woman – wanted to shorten the distance they had to travel with their machinery and so decided to widen an existing hole in the wall.

They allegedly used an excavator to enlarge an existing gap in the Great Wall of China until the hole was big enough for the excavator to pass through. The Youyu County Public Security Bureau said in a press release that the duo was working at a construction site nearby and wanted to reduce the distance they would have to travel. In doing so, they caused “irreversible damage” to a portion of the Great Wall of China.

According to BBC, the damaged portion is located in in Youyu county and is part of the Ming Great Wall. Ming Great Wall refers specifically to the section of the Great Wall of China constructed during the Ming Dynasty, which ruled China from 1368 to 1644.

Police said the duo caused “irreversible damage to the integrity of the Ming Great Wall and to the safety of the cultural relics.”

Officers received reports of damage to the wall on August 24. A preliminary investigation revealed the wall had been damaged with heavy machinery. Following tracks made by the machine, cops found the duo -- a 55-year-old man and 38-year-old woman – who admitted to damaging the UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The two have since been arrested while an investigation is ongoing.