Construction Workers Unearth €9 Million in Gold Hidden in a Cellar Wall

Construction workers renovating a building in Sint-Gillis-Dendermonde, Belgium, have stumbled onto a fortune: a chest bricked into a cellar wall containing gold bars and antique coins worth around 9 million euros.

The house once belonged to a brewer who lived there from around 1900 and is now owned by a welfare organization. After the discovery, the client and police were alerted immediately.

"The first reactions were surprise and wonder. This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience," said the director of CAW East Flanders, the welfare organization. The haul includes at least 4,000 coins and more than 40 gold bars.

Police have moved the gold to a safe location. A spokesperson for the public prosecutor's office said it is not yet clear where the gold came from or who it belongs to, and an investigation is underway.

If the welfare organization is ultimately recognized as the owner, the proceeds will go toward extra shelter capacity for homeless people in the province, where there is a severe shortage.