Shocked to discover "treasure" worth more than 140 trillion right in the house

Hans-Andre Tooren, 52, and his wife, Beate, 47, live in Altenberg, a region in eastern Germany. They have been married for a long time and have built a house. But for decades, the German couple had no idea that their family land contained a huge “treasure”.

Recently, when they accidentally discovered that right in their current home was a giant mineral mine containing lithium worth up to 5 billion pounds (more than 140 trillion VND), both were extremely surprised.

“We built our house in 1998. There were a lot of rumours about medieval mining tunnels. But neither of us expected there to be a mine right next to our house,” Mr Tooren said.

Since the discovery of Zinnwald – a small town in Altenberg, the race of mineral exploration began. The place began to be flooded with prospectors and geologists.

According to German law, people are not allowed to mine even if they own land because it is state property.

Despite owning a huge “treasure”, unfortunately, the Tooren family did not receive any money, even though the mining took place right under their house. According to German mining law, landowners cannot exploit the land without permission, because it is state property.

Although many people around there were unhappy about missing out on such a huge fortune, Hans-Andre's family was still satisfied.

“Our city of Altenberg will receive huge profits from mining. We will have more revenue to improve roads, schools and public works,” said Mr. Hans.

According to local media, mining operations will not affect people's daily lives.