A 38-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman were detained by police after allegedly digging through the Great Wall of China with an excavator to carve a shortcut. The damage was to a part of the wall built during the Ming dynasty (1368-1644). According to a police statement, the damage is "irreversible."
From CNN:
They allegedly expanded an existing opening in the ancient structure into a wide gap large enough for their excavator to pass through to "save the distance of travel," according to the statement.
