The Nazi gold train thought to have been discovered in southern Poland could be booby trapped and mined, a minister in Poland’s culture ministry has claimed.
Pawel Zuchowski, who is in charge of conservation, told repoters he was “convinced” of the existence of the train.
He said: “I appeal to people looking for the train to stop until official proceedings to make the find safe have finished. There is a high probability the train is mined.”
There have also been reports that the military has cordoned off the area surrounding the train.
In case you missed it: the hidden Nazi gold train story is real. The military is cordoning off the area as we tweet.
— Jakub Krupa (@JakubKrupaFE) August 26, 2015
Zuchowski said he observed an increase in treasure hunting activity in the Polish city of Wałbrzych, where the alleged discovery was made, walbrzych24.com reports.
The treasure hunters’ lawyer, Jaroslaw Chmielewski, said they provided local authorities with a description of the train carriage, which is allegedly armoured and 120-150 metres long.
Since the end of the Second World War, there have been stories that a train filled with gold and other treasures that disappeared near Ksiaz castle, two miles from Wałbrzych.
Local lore also says that the Nazis used concentration camp inmates to build a vast underground network to hide Third Reich valuables, code-named ‘Riese’, the German word for ‘giant’.
Some of the known tunnels in Project Riese, which is where #goldtrain is said to be pic.twitter.com/W7tot5N5mS
— Exen (@Exen) August 26, 2015
While the purpose of the tunnels has remained unclear, some believe they may have been intended for use as military headquarters or weapons research facilities.
The gold may not be in pristine gold blocks, but could be from tooth fillings removed from individuals sent to Nazi extermination camps, the Telegraph has reported.
Treblinka, a death camp in Poland, produced two suitcases containing eight to 10 kilos of teeth each week, according to a testimony from the tooth puller of Treblinka.
More information is likely to be released from the treasure hunters in the coming weeks.
