Eight construction workers discovered gold coins and bars totaling $10.5 million (169 million Roman francs) in Belgium last Tuesday during work, officials reported.
The gold find was made beneath the building undergoing renovation in the town of Dendermonde, located approximately 19 miles northwest of Brussels.
The discovery was made by Kob Philips, a student working part-time on the construction site. He told Belgian broadcaster VTM: 'I thought they were one-euro coins neatly laid out in a row. We dug them up, and then we saw a small gold bar lying there, already attached to our pickaxe. In fact, there was a bit more than we expected.'
After the discovery, the workers contacted the property owner, who then called the police, according to VTM's Face. The Eastern Flanders prosecutor's office informed CNN that the police were called due to the significant value of the find, and the gold is currently being kept in a 'secure and guarded location.'
Face specified that some of the gold bars are marked with dates from the 1960s, while the sovereign coins feature different monarchs and dates.
This find has already led to potential claimants. Face noted: 'We already have citizens who want to claim the gold, having various documents proving they are descendants.'
A police investigation is currently underway to determine if there are any criminal aspects to the case.