According to French media reports on the 26th, a young man from the Savoie region of France accidentally discovered a "treasure" — a batch of jewelry worth hundreds of thousands of euros — while climbing on a glacier in the Alps at the beginning of the month. Under French law, if no rightful owner is found, the jewelry will ultimately belong to the young man who discovered it.
Citing Savoie police, French media reported that the climber unexpectedly found a metal box on the glacier, inside of which were small packages containing a collection of jewelry, including emeralds, sapphires, and rubies. Some of the packages were marked with "Made in India." A local jeweler estimated the value of the jewelry to be between €130,000 and €246,000 (approximately 1.07 million to 2.03 million RMB).
Police pointed out that the person who discovered the "treasure" was an "honest" young man who believed the jewelry might belong to someone who had perished in the mountains, so he promptly turned it over to the authorities. Police currently suspect the jewelry may be linked to two Indian planes that crashed on Mont Blanc half a century ago, and have launched an investigation into the matter. Authorities also noted that if no rightful owner or heirs are found, the jewelry will ultimately go to the discoverer.
It is reported that one Indian plane crashed on Mont Blanc in November 1950, killing 48 people, and another in January 1966, killing 117. Previously, climbers have also discovered wreckage from both planes, as well as the remains and belongings of the victims.