Construction workers renovating a building in Belgium have discovered a hidden stash of gold believed to be worth more than $10 million.
The workers uncovered about 50 gold bars and piles of gold coins while carrying out renovation work on a property in Dendermonde, in East Flanders.
Police said the workers immediately contacted authorities after discovering what they described as “a large quantity of gold”.
Belgian media reported that the haul, estimated at about €9 million ($10.4 million), had been hidden inside the cellar walls of a house owned by CAW East-Flanders, a local charity.
One of the workers, identified only as Kobe, told Belgian broadcaster VRT that the discovery initially left the construction crew stunned.
“Our first reaction was actually disbelief, amazement,” he said.
Kobe said the workers came across the treasure while carrying out groundwork to install a pipe for the sewerage system.
“We certainly hadn’t expected to find gold,” he added.
Following the discovery, police said the gold was inventoried and transferred to a high-security vault belonging to Belgium’s federal government services.
The discovery has since attracted the attention of would-be treasure hunters, prompting police to warn members of the public to stay away from the fenced-off construction site.
“Apparently, several treasure hunters would like to pay another visit to the site,” Dendermonde police said in a Facebook post.
The department added a warning to the curious: “A golden piece of advice: it is truly pointless.”
The legal ownership of the gold remains unclear, including whether the charity that owns the property or another party could ultimately claim the treasure.
Police said they hoped the valuable discovery would eventually “end up in the right hands”.
Boluwatife Enome
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