E-Paper
Gold rush in China: Locals hunt for jewellery worth ₹12 crore swept away in flood
Chaos unfolded after sudden flash floods hit a county in China, sweeping away 20 kilograms of gold and silver jewellery from a local shop
Chaos unfolded after sudden flash floods hit a county in China, sweeping away 20 kilograms of gold and silver jewellery from a local shop. The sudden flash floods in Wuqi County, Shaanxi Province sparked a ‘gold rush’ as locals tried to hunt for the lost jewellery – with some even using metal detectors.
According to a report in The Standard, The owner of Laofengxiang gold shop, Ye, told local media that jewellery from the store’s display cabinet was swept away in the floods that hit his store on July 25.
Ye estimated that he lost 20 kilograms of gold, diamond and silver jewellery, as well as silver ornaments and jade objects.
How the floods swept away jewellery
Ye explained that the staff had stayed overnight to guard the shop. Therefore, the jewellery kept on display at the store had not been locked up for the night.
On the morning of July 25, flash flood warnings were issued just as the staff was preparing to open the store. Asked to evacuate the store immediately, they had no time to secure the gold and silver jewellery in lockers before the floods hit.
Within minutes, water rushed into the store, bursting through the front door and reaching a depth of one metre.
Jewellery worth 10 million yuan lost
After the floodwaters receded, Ye realised he had lost gold bracelets, necklaces, pendants, earrings, diamond rings, jade ornaments, silver items and more. Entire display cabinets had been swept away by the floodwaters, each of them containing expensive jewellery.
In total, he estimates jewellery worth 10 million yuan ( ₹12 crore approximately) was lost in the floods. This estimate was based on current market prices.
Ye’s son, known as Xiaoye, said the family and showroom employees spent two days combing through mudwater in hopes of recovering some ornaments. However, only around 1 kilogram of jewellery was found, including items voluntarily returned by residents.
Locals hunt with metal detectors
However, as news of the mishap spread, locals joined the hunt, sparking chaos.
“Some residents reported seeing others picking up jewelry, but no one has come forward to return any items,” Xiaoye said.
On July 26, several locals were seen searching for valuables in the ‘gold rush’ sparked by the floods. Some even took metal detectors to search more efficiently. However, if anyone found any jewellery, it has not been returned.
