Construction crews in Belgium made an extraordinary discovery this week, unearthing gold worth an estimated $10.4 million while installing a new sewer line beneath a former brewery, local police said.
Authorities in Sint-Gillis-Dendermonde, a Flemish community outside Brussels, said the workers reported the find right away. Police then documented the gold and transferred it to a “high-security federal government vault.”
One of the workers, 18-year-old Kobe, told VRT News that he initially mistook the pieces of gold for 1 euro coins.
“Our first reaction was actually disbelief, surprise. Of course, we didn’t expect to find gold,” Kobe said. He explained that the crew had been removing part of a foundation so they could lay pipe for the sewer system.
Construction crews in Belgium discovered gold valued at $10.4 million while working on a new sewer beneath a former brewery, local police said. (Lokale Politie Dendermonde/Facebook)
“When we did that, we suddenly saw something lying around,” he said.
Project leader Mario described the moment as a “crazy feeling.”
“They shouted, ‘We found gold,’” he told the outlet, recalling how his crew alerted him. “I went to look and took the gold in my hands. We also continued to dig up new coins and bars. Only then did what we had found really dawn.”
He called his boss and then the police.
Police in Sint-Gillis-Dendermonde, a Flemish community outside of Brussels, said the workers contacted them immediately about the find, which officers cataloged, then placed in a “high-security federal government vault.” (Lokale Politie Dendermonde/Facebook)
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The construction workers don’t actually get to keep the gold. Under Belgian law, the rightful owner has the right to claim the gold within five years.
When asked if it had crossed his mind to keep it, Mario told VRT, “It’s about so many coins and bars, that almost wouldn’t be possible. Besides, it would also be theft.”
Kobe said he still hoped for a finder’s fee. “That would be nice.”
Police catalog the gold found in Belgium. (Lokale Politie Dendermonde/Facebook)
The building is owned by an organization that provides welfare support to the Flemish community.
The director of the organization said he hoped the gold could be used to help with the “enormous need we experience daily,” according to the BBC.
The local police warned treasure hunters against visiting the site, saying it’s a fenced-off construction site with “several dangerous pits” and that the gold has all been removed.
Police added, “We hope this treasure ends up in the right hands and that this unexpected discovery positively changes many lives!”
