Polish military leaders sent explosive experts to investigate a site near the town of Walbrzych on Tuesday, reportedly scene of a missing Nazi train packed with gold that was hidden at the end of the Second World War.
Earlier this year, two researchers claimed to have located the missing locomotive after a deathbed confession by one of the soldiers who claimed to be responsible for its hiding. The Train, the researchers said, is stored in a tunnel, but warned it is likely booby-trapped.
Military sappers with mine detectors are checking for explosives in an area where two explorers claim a World War II Nazi train is allegedly hidden, Walbrzych, Poland, on Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2015
According to local Governor Tomasz Smolarz, the military experts will determine if investigation of the tunnel poses any danger to nearby residents.
During the war, the town was part of the German Reich, and an area of construction for Nazi engineers, who built an elaborate underground complex. Local legend maintains the train was housed in one of the tunnels to escape Stalin’s advancing Red Army at the end of the conflict.
Reported by AP, the two researchers who claim to have discovered the train used ground-penetrating radar to locate the tunnel. The pair, a German and a Pole, has asked for 10 percent of the treasure as reward.
However, the Polish government has yet to comment on the legal status of the train should it be found. Indeed, last week a Polish prosecutor said an investigation had been launched into potential criminal activity by the explorers for using the radar without permission from local authorities.