TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Two Shanxi residents have been arrested for using an excavator to dig a 5-meter gap in the Great Wall of China, a UNESCO World Heritage Listed Site.

In late August, officials in Youyu County in Shuozhou, Shanxi Province were notified that a gap had appeared in the 32nd Great Wall, a section of the Ming Great Wall, reported Liberty Times. Officials found that residents had used heavy equipment to excavate a "short cut" in the wall and have taken two suspects into custody.

According to Chinese media reports, the 32nd Great Wall is rare as it is one of the last sections of the Ming Great Wall where the walls and beacon towers are relatively complete and has been listed by Shanxi Province as a provincial-level cultural relic.

Five-meter gap discovered in Great Wall. (Youyu Public Security Bureau Weibo photo)

The Youyu Public Security Bureau received a report at 4 p.m. on Aug. 24 that a gap had been dug into the wall. Police found an excavator operated by a man and a woman in Horinger County, which is adjacent to Youyu County.

The man surnamed Zheng (鄭) and the woman surnamed Wang (王) reportedly admitted making the gap.