A construction crew has made a remarkable find during a renovation project, unearthing buried treasure hidden within the foundations of an old brewery worth 9 million euros (£7.6 million). The eight-strong team of builders stumbled upon the extraordinary haul last Tuesday in Belgium, at a site in Dendermonde, a city approximately 19 miles northwest of the capital Brussels.
Police confirm the haul
Police have since confirmed the find comprised approximately 40 gold bars and around 4,000 gold sovereign coins.
Student and part-time construction worker Kobe Phillips was the first to spot the astonishing discovery while on site.
"I thought they were one-euro coins, neatly lined up in a row. We dug them out, and then we saw a small bar of gold lying there, already attached to our digging hammer. There was actually a bit more than we'd thought," he told Belgian broadcaster VTM.
Landowner alerted authorities
The construction team promptly informed the landowner of their sensational find, who subsequently alerted the authorities.
Officers attended the scene and assumed control of the so-called 'buried treasure' owing to the staggering value of the discovery.
Gold secured and claims pour in
According to the East Flanders Public Prosecutor's Office, the gold has since been transferred to a "secure and guarded location".
Dendermonde Police District chief Patrick Feys confirmed that certain gold bars bear stamps dating back to the 1960s, while the sovereign coins display a range of monarchs and dates.
The find has already prompted numerous individuals to come forward laying claim to the treasure, he added. "We already had some citizens who want to claim the gold with different documents to prove that they are descendants," Feys said.
Investigation into origins
Authorities are now carrying out an investigation into the origins of the remarkable hoard and whether it could be linked to any form of criminal activity.
