Tourist jumps into Terracotta Army clay warriors and damages statues in China
A tourist in China jumped into a section of the world-famous Terracotta Army - damaging two of the ancient clay statues.
The 30-year-old man, identified only by his surname Sun, launched himself over guardrails and a protective netting at the museum housing the clay warriors, in the city of Xi'an, on Friday.
He reportedly began pushing and pulling the priceless statues, resulting in visible damage to two of the figures.
Museum security quickly intervened and subdued the intruder.
Authorities say Sun suffers from a mental illness and confirmed that an investigation is currently underway following the incident.
The pit he leapt into is 18ft deep - raising serious concerns about how he managed to breach safety measures.
The Terracotta Army is a collection of more than 8,000 life-sized soldiers created 2,000 years ago to guard the tomb of China's first emperor, Qin Shi Huang.
It is regarded as one of the country's greatest archaeological treasures.
The Terracotta Army site has held UNESCO World Heritage status since 1987 and draws millions of visitors each year.
The figures, dating from approximately the late 200s BCE, were discovered on March 29, 1974, by local farmers in Lintong County, outside Xi'an, Shaanxi, China.
They vary in height according to their rank, the tallest being the generals. The figures include warriors, chariots, and horses.
Estimates from 2007 were that the three pits containing the Terracotta Army hold more than 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses, and 150 cavalry horses, the majority of which remain in the pits near Qin Shi mausoleum.
Other, non-military terracotta figures have since been found in other pits, including those of officials, acrobats, strongmen, and musicians.
Over the past 50 years, archaeologists have located some 600 pits, a complex of underground vaults, across a 22sq mile area.
In one long columns of warriors, reassembled from broken pieces, stand in formation, dressed in tunics or armored vests and wearing their hair in buns.
Another pit within the museum demonstrated how they appeared when they were found. Some stand upright, buried shoulder-deep in soil, while others lie toppled on their backs alongside cracked clay horses.
The site ranks with the Great Wall and Beijing's forbidden City, as one of China's most popular tourist attractions.
A museum staff member revealed that the exhibit remains open to the public as normal, with officials working swiftly to assess and repair the damage caused by the man.
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