Gold hoard worth €9m found during sewer work in Belgium

A huge hoard of gold bars, rare coins and other valuables, worth about €9 million, has been found during routine sewer work in Belgium. The discovery was made by 18-year-old Kobe, a student working as a temporary summer worker in Sint-Gillis-Dendermonde, about 30 kilometres north-west of Brussels. Kobe found the treasure on Tuesday while digging with his colleagues during work to replace underground pipes. He said he first noticed something in the ground and thought the objects were one-euro coins. He then spotted a gold bar and realised that the find was far larger than expected. The hoard included gold coins, gold nuggets and gold bars. The valuables were packed in a bag and hidden inside the brickwork of a wall in an old mansion. The mansion was built in the late 19th century. Authorities secured the site soon after the discovery and moved all the valuables to a secure location in Brussels. Investigators are now trying to establish the origin of the hoard and determine its legal ownership. Under Belgian law, the person who finds a treasure must wait at least five years to allow the original owner or legal heirs to come forward. Kobe said the workers knew that such a large discovery had to be handed over to the authorities. He also expressed hope that a reward for the find could be on the horizon.