Construction crew uncovers $10.4 million gold cache while digging sewer in Belgium

On August 11, a team excavating a sewer pipe at a former brewery in Sint-Gill­is-Dendermonde uncovered a treasure of 49 gold bars and a bucket of gold coins, estimated at $10.4 million. The workers, including an 18-year-old named Kobe and project leader Mario, immediately alerted the police, who posted images of the gold and relocated it to a high-security federal government vault. Police commended the quick reporting and warned the public to stay away from the fenced, dangerous site, noting that all the gold has already been secured.

Under Belgian law, a legitimate owner has five years to claim the metal; if none appears, the haul may be divided between the finder and the property owner, CAW Oost-Vlaanderen, a welfare organization serving East Flanders. Investigators are now examining the gold’s provenance while the organization hopes the find could support its social-service programs.