News world Belgium Youth Stumbles Upon Rs 99 Crore Treasure During Sewage Work: ‘Not Something You Expect’
Last Updated:August 16, 2026, 17:36 IST
An 18-year-old student digging a sewage trench in Belgium uncovered a hidden gold hoard worth an estimated €9 million, packed inside a bricked-up cellar wall.
Belgian youth finds treasure worth 99 Cr while digging sewers. Not a regular Tuesday, was it? (Image source: X/ @PicturesFoIder)
An 18-year-old student working at a construction site in Belgium stumbled upon a hidden gold hoard estimated to be worth around 9 million Euros while digging trenches for a sewage system, The Guardian reported.
The student, identified only as Kobe, was working with colleagues at the site of a former brewery on Van Langenhovestraat in Sint-Gillis-Dendermonde, around 30 km northwest of Brussels, when they made the discovery on Tuesday.
The hoard included gold coins, nuggets and numbered bullion bars. The items had been packed in a bag and hidden inside a bricked-up section of a cellar wall beneath a large villa built for former brewery owner Theophilus Van Assche in the late 19th century.
“We suddenly saw something lying there. At first I thought it was €1 coins. So we started digging them up. Then we saw a gold bar. It turned out to be a bit more than we thought,” Kobe told Belgian broadcaster VTM, which was cited in the report.
Kobe said he never expected to find anything like the hoard while working on an ordinary Tuesday morning. He said the gold appeared to have been deliberately hidden, as it had been bricked into the wall rather than kept in a safe.
“It’s just not something you expect when you’re working on a regular Tuesday morning,” Kobe said.
Gold Found During Brewery Site Renovation
Brewing at the site began in 1899 and continued until 1970. The historic property, whose wrought-iron gates still carry the initials “VA”, is now being renovated by social welfare organisation CAW Oost-Vlaanderen.
The project will turn the property into new offices and housing. Geert Hillaert of CAW said workers were laying drainage pipes when they came across the hidden gold.
“The Brouwershuis was a beautiful building, but it is being completely gutted. Ultimately, only the walls will remain,” Hillaert told HLN.
Kobe and his colleagues immediately informed police and CAW after finding the hoard. The gold has since been moved to a secure facility in Brussels while authorities investigate its ownership.
Who Owns The Millions-Worth Treasure?
Hanne Ollevier of the East Flanders public prosecutor’s office said authorities must first establish whether the bullion was stolen or linked to criminal activity.
The discovery could also lead to a legal dispute over ownership. Building contractors, CAW Oost-Vlaanderen and descendants of the Van Assche family could potentially have claims to the fortune.
Under Belgian law, finders must wait at least five years for potential owners to come forward and claim a discovered treasure.
Former Dendermonde mayor Piet Buyse said it was possible the gold had remained within the Van Assche family and had been deliberately hidden.
“It wouldn’t surprise me at all if they had decided to put at least some of it in gold, and then to hide it in a safe place,” Buyse told HLN.
Kobe said he and his colleagues understood that such a large discovery had to be handed over to the authorities.
“If it had been a few coins, maybe not,” he said. “But maybe we’ll get some kind of finder’s reward eventually.”
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Key Questions AnsweredPowered by
Ask News18Who will ultimately own the discovered gold treasure?
Under Belgian law, finders must wait at least five years for potential owners to come forward and claim a discovered treasure. Authorities are investigating the gold’s origin and legal ownership, including whether it is linked to criminal activity or unresolved inheritance claims.
What are the Belgian laws regarding found treasures?
Under Belgian law, individuals who discover treasure must allow a minimum of five years for potential owners to come forward and claim it.
Could this discovery impact future construction projects?
The discovery of the gold treasure could lead to a legal dispute over ownership, potentially involving building contractors, a social welfare organisation, and descendants of the family who owned the property.
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First Published:
August 16, 2026, 17:36 IST
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