Construction workers found dozens of gold bars and hundreds of coins valued at an estimated $10 million while installing sewers at an old brewery, according to authorities.
One of the builders, identified by CNN affiliate VTM as an 18-year-old student worker named Kobe, was excavating at the property in Sint-Gillis-Dendermonde when the treasure was spotted inside a wooden chest behind a wall.
“Our first reaction was actually disbelief,” Kobe said, according to VRT. “Of course, we hadn’t expected to find gold.”
The worker reportedly said they initially believed some of the objects were ordinary coins before realizing the crew had stumbled upon something far more valuable — what appeared to be a gold nugget.
“That’s when we knew we had found something much bigger,” Kobe said, per the media outlet.
Construction workers find $10M in gold bars & coins during sewer installation (Photo: Dendermonde Local Police)
The discovery was made during renovation work at the former brewery property, which has a history dating to the late 19th century, the outlet noted.
Workers immediately contacted authorities, rather than attempting to remove or divide the treasure, police said in a social media post.
“We briefly considered keeping it ourselves,” Kobe told VTM. “But it’s simply too much money.”
Police said they collected the gold, inventoried it, and transferred it to “a high-security vault” operated by Belgium’s federal government while authorities work to determine its origin and rightful ownership.
The discovery has generated intense interest in the area, including from would-be “treasure hunters” hoping additional valuables remain at the site, said police. They warned people to stay away, stressing that the property is an active, fenced construction site containing potentially dangerous excavation pits.
Authorities also said officers have thoroughly searched the area and removed the discovered valuables, meaning treasure hunters would be taking risks for no reason.
Officials are now working to determine where the gold came from and who may ultimately be entitled to the multimillion-dollar fortune.
“Of course, we’re hoping we’ll get a finder’s reward,” Kobe said, per VTM. “That would be nice.”
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EDITOR’S NOTE: CNN Newsource contributed to this report.