Construction workers in Belgium made an unexpected discovery while working on a sewerage project in the city of Dendermonde. The team found a large hidden collection of gold bars and coins inside the cellar wall of a former brewery property. The gold has been estimated to be worth around $10 million, although some reports have put the value closer to $14 million depending on the gold price and exchange rate.
The discovery was made in Sint-Gillis-Dendermonde, about 30 kilometres northwest of Brussels. Workers were carrying out ground work to install a new sewer pipe when they came across the hidden stash. An 18-year-old student worker, Kobe, initially thought the coins were ordinary one-euro coins. He soon noticed gold nuggets and bars among them.
Reports say the collection included around 4,000 gold coins and 49 gold bars, each weighing about one kilogram. Police were called to the site and secured the valuables in a high-security government facility.
Authorities are now investigating where the gold came from and who legally owns it. Under Belgian law, the rightful owner can claim the hidden valuables within five years.
