Construction company workers in Belgium have discovered gold bars and coins worth at least 9 million euros hidden inside a chest during a house renovation.
Local police seized the substantial quantity of gold following an alert from the workers and moved the treasure to a secure location, according to news outlet 24.hu.
Prosecution launches ownership investigation
Prosecutor Hanne Ollevier confirmed that the public prosecution service launched an investigation because the origin of the treasure and the identity of its legal owner remain unknown.
Ollevier explained that the objective of the investigation is to determine how the gold arrived at the property and whether it was legally acquired. She noted that until the inquiry concludes, it remains uncertain whether the current property owner, the homeless social organization CAW Oost-Vlaanderen, will be granted ownership of the valuable gold.
CAW Oost-Vlaanderen is a community social welfare organization that assists vulnerable and homeless individuals. Representatives from the organization stated that if the prosecutor finds no evidence of crime and confirms the gold belongs to them, they will use the proceeds to fund the expansion of their services across the entire East Flanders region.
Police warn public away from demolition site
Dendermonde police officer Patrick Feys urged members of the public and prospective gold hunters to stay away from the scene, stating that there was nothing left to see at the location.
Feys added that law enforcement officers had cordoned off the entire area. He warned that the site is extremely dangerous because the building is currently undergoing total demolition.
Other recent historic and natural finds
The discovery follows other notable recent finds reported internationally. A fisherman previously revealed how he accidentally discovered an ancient wooden ship containing hundreds of amphorae, which archaeologists believe was preserved beneath layers of sand and silt.
Additionally, researchers in the United States identified a lake sturgeon capable of living for more than 400 years. The species is among the largest freshwater fish in North America, with adult specimens reaching weights between 90 and 130 kilograms.
