- Construction workers in Belgium found a €10 million stash of gold bars and coins during sewer work
- The treasure was hidden in a bricked-in cellar wall of a 19th-century villa in Sint-Gillis-Dendermonde
- The villa was built for brewery owner Theophilus Van Assche and is now under renovation by CAW Oost-Vlaanderen
Construction workers in Belgium uncovered a massive stash of gold bars and rare coins while excavating a sewer line. The find, estimated at around 9 million euros (approximately Rs 98 crore), was made during standard underground pipe replacement work in Sint‑Gillis‑Dendermonde, about 30 km northwest of Brussels, The Guardian reported. Kobe, an 18‑year‑old summer worker, discovered it on Tuesday. Speaking to Belgian network VTM, he said, "We suddenly saw something lying there. At first I thought it was €1 coins. Then we saw a gold bar. It turned out to be a bit more than we thought." As per the report, the 18-year-old student was working with colleagues on the site.
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The treasure, which included gold coins, nuggets, and numbered bullion bars, was hidden inside a bag sealed within a bricked-in cellar wall beneath a grand villa built in the late 19th century for brewery owner Theophilus Van Assche. "It's just not something you expect on a regular Tuesday morning," Kobe said, adding that the stash appeared to have been deliberately concealed.
Brewing on the site began in 1899 and ended in 1970. The listed property, whose wrought‑iron gates still display the initials "VA", is now being fully renovated by the social welfare organisation CAW Oost‑Vlaanderen to create new offices and housing.
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"The Brouwershuis was a beautiful building, but it is being completely destroyed. Ultimately, only the walls will remain," Geert Hillaert of CAW told HLN.
Authorities quickly secured the site and transferred the treasure to a secure facility in Brussels. Officials are now investigating its origins to determine legal ownership.
Hanne Ollevier from the East Flanders prosecutor's office said investigators must first verify that the gold was not stolen or linked to crime, warning that the case could spark a complex civil dispute.
Potential claimants include the building contractors, the welfare organisation, and descendants of the Van Assche family. Under Belgian law, anyone who finds treasure must wait at least five years for rightful owners to come forward.
As for the workers, Kobe admitted they knew such a large find had to be handed over. "If it had been a few coins, maybe not. But maybe we'll get some kind of finder's reward eventually," he said.
