Builders unearth £7.6 million gold stash sealed in walls of Belgian property
The rightful owner of the stash has five years to make their claim the hoard, or the discovery will be split between the property owners and the builders.
Builders have discovered a stash of gold reportedly worth €9million (£7.6m) hidden in the cellar walls while renovating a house in Belgium.
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The construction workers came across across the hidden trove of gold bars and coins while drilling in the cellar of the property in east Flanders to lay new sewage pipes.
"Our first reaction was actually disbelief, amazement," said 18-year-old Kobe, who was working on the project as a summer job.
"At first I thought they were €1 coins. But then we also saw a gold nugget lying there. That's when we realised it was something bigger."
After realising the extent of the stash, the builders alerted local police to the discovery, explaining that keeping it for themselves "would be almost impossible" to keep hidden.
"Besides, that would be theft," added the site manager, Mario.
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The property currently belongs to CAW Oost-Vlaanderen, which provides welfare support in Dendermonde, a Flemish community of around 47,000 people
Under Belgian law, the rightful owner of the stash has five years to make their claim the hoard - although the local prosecutors launching the investigation are currently unsure of who this might be.
If no one comes forward, civil law states that hidden treasure on someone else's property be divided between the finder and the property's owner - meaning the charity that own the property and the builders would each get a piece.
However, this only applies if the stash is not found to be linked to criminal activity.
As a result, both the builders and the charity now face a wait of up to 1,823 days for an owner to come forward.
Following the discovery, police have warned against visiting the site to search for more treasure, saying the house had since been "turned upside down" and all the gold moved to a secure location.
The director of the charity CAW Oost-Vlaanderen, Geert Hillaert, said his first reaction was "surprise and amazement".
He added that he hoped the treasure might eventually be used to support the charity's work and meet the "enormous need we experience daily".