Two people have been detained in China after allegedly damaging a section of the Great Wall in the northern Shanxi province with an excavator, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

Authorities in Youyu County said they received a report on August 24 that a gap in the wall was created in Yangqianhe Township, CCTV reported.

After an investigation, police found a 38-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman had used an excavator to breach the wall in order to create a shortcut to pass through, causing "irreversible" damage to the integrity and safety of that portion of the wall, the broadcaster said.

Police said the investigation was ongoing.

The area, known as the 32nd Great Wall, is one of the surviving complete walls and watch towers dated back to the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) and is listed as a provincial cultural relic site. The Great Wall was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.