Gold Nuggets Discovered in Belgium

In an astonishing turn of events, construction workers in Belgium stumbled upon gold nuggets valued at over $10 million while renovating a building and installing sewer pipes.

Corby, an 18-year-old student worker, expressed his disbelief when they found the treasure. “We certainly didn’t expect to find gold,” he shared with Belgian news outlet VRT.

This remarkable discovery took place in Sint Gilis Dendermonde, approximately 60 miles from Brussels, where the construction team was working on the city center’s building renovations.

As the workers were tearing up the foundation for the sewer installation, they suddenly noticed something unusual. Initially, they thought it was a pile of 1 euro coins, but soon someone recognized it as pure gold.

Mario, the site manager, recalled, “I went to see it and took the money. We kept digging and found more coins and gold bars. It was surreal.” He added that in his 33 years of construction experience, he had never seen anything like it.

The discovered gold ingots and bullion are estimated to total around EUR 9 million, translating to about USD 10.4 million.

Under Belgian law, however, the treasure must be turned over to the police since taking it would constitute theft. Mario stated, “There are so many coins and bars that it would be almost impossible to take them all.” 

According to the BBC, the treasure is currently held by CAW Oost-Vlaanderen, an organization that aids residents of Dendermonde and owns the land where the gold was found.

Belgian law stipulates that the rightful owner has five years to claim the treasure. However, the local prosecutor has said it’s unclear who it belongs to. If no one steps forward, civil law dictates that the treasure will be split between the discoverers and the landowner.

While the identity of the treasure’s original owner remains a mystery, historian Piet Buisset speculates it may have belonged to the former owners of the building, a local brewing family named Van Assche.

Welfare organizations are hopeful that they can utilize these funds to support their charitable efforts.

In the meantime, reports indicate that numerous individuals have flocked to the site in hopes of uncovering more treasures. Local authorities have advised treasure hunters to stay away due to safety concerns, as much of the site will ultimately be demolished.

Kobe, another teenage worker, is optimistic that he and his colleagues might receive some form of reward for their significant find. “Of course we hope to get a ‘discovery fee,'” he told VRT, “that would be nice.”