Portion Of The Great Wall Of China Collapses Amid Severe Rains

A section of the Great Wall of China has collapsed after heavy rains caused a strong current of rain to rush down the mountains an crush the Dajingmen section of the Great Wall.

The section of collapsed wall was in China’s Hebei province in the Zhangjikou region; the area is now under repair work, reports TruthDive.

An official with the city’s Qiaoxi district confirmed the collapse, adding that the collapsed section is about 36 meters long. Cracks have also been spotted on the remaining portions of wall near the collapse. The weak places were cleared out, allowing crews to reinforce other loose sections, hopefully preventing further collapse.

The section of collapsed Great Wall was built in the seventh century but had to be rebuild between 1368 and 1644 when the Ming Dynasty ruled China. Experts believe that, along with the torrential rains, years of erosion contributed to the collapse. Now, however, protection experts for cultural relics are working to repair the damaged areas properly.

The Daily Mail notes that a city official stated of the collapsed section of Great Wall:

“There is an investigation into the causes of the collapse. A number of things may have contributed, including the building work. But we have a conservation and rebuilding plan and it is already underway.”

While sections of the Wall near Beijing and other tourist destinations have been preserved and extensively renovated, other areas are in disrepair, even being used as a village playground in some poorer areas. Some sections have been subject to graffiti and vandalism, while other parts have even been destroyed to make way for construction.

The Great Wall of China stretches from Shanhaiguan in the east to Lop Lake in the west. While its length is measured at 5,500 miles, some experts have discovered that, should branches of the wall be included, then the wall’s entire length is actually 14,000 miles.

Like the area of the Great Wall of China that collapsed after torrential rains, a 37 mile long section in Gansu province could completely disappear in the next 20 years because of erosion from sandstorms.