Construction Crew Uncovers $10M Gold Hoard

Sewer work in a Belgian city has turned into a $10 million mystery. A construction crew in Dendermonde, north of Brussels, unearthed a stash of gold bars and coins while drilling to install new sewer pipes, prompting disbelief from workers who first assumed they were looking at ordinary euro coins, People reports. They found the stash sealed in cellar walls during a building renovation project, the BBC reports. Photos posted by local police show 49 gold bars and a bucket of coins now in government custody.

Authorities say the haul has been logged and locked in a high-security federal vault as prosecutors investigate where it came from and who, if anyone, legally owns it. Police warned treasure hunters to stay away, saying all the gold has been removed and there are "several dangerous pits" on the property. The workers were renovating an old brewery building owned by a local charity, De Morgen reports.

• Under Belgian law, if a rightful owner doesn't come forward within five years and the gold isn't linked to criminal activity, the haul will be split between the finders and the property owners. The charity says it hopes to use the treasure to expand homeless shelter capacity and "meet the enormous need we experience daily." Police said they hope the treasure will end up in the right place and "change the lives of many in a positive way."