Construction workers strike gold at work – literally

By Chris Lau, CNN

(CNN) — Forget overtime. This construction crew hit the mother lode.

Eight construction workers uncovered gold coins and bars worth 9 million euros ($10.5 million) in Belgium last Tuesday while at work, according to authorities.

They made the golden discovery underneath a building they were performing renovation work on in the city of Dendermonde, about 19 miles northwest of Brussels.

“Apparently, during drilling operations, the drill bit got stuck — hitting a gold bar,” Patrick Feys, Chief of the Dendermonde Police District, told Belgian broadcaster VTM.

He said once the discovery was made, the workers contacted the property owner who then called the police.

Careful inventory work had been carried out under camera surveillance at the police station before the gold was sealed to avoid future disputes, the police chief added.

Images on the Dendermonde police’s Facebook page show a metal bucket filled with gold coins and a table covered in gold bars.

A police investigation is underway to determine how the gold ended up being placed there and who legally owns it, according to the Associated Press.

“I hope they can use it to fund a worthy cause, though that will be determined by further investigation and legal proceedings,” Feys told VTM.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.