A French mountaineer who found a treasure trove of gems on Mont Blanc in 2013 has been awarded his finder’s fee eight years later. He received half the shipment of emeralds, rubies and sapphires with a total value of about 300,000 euros.
The other half is for the local authorities in Chamonix, Mayor Eric Fournier told the French news agency AFP on Saturday evening. He said he was “very happy” that the matter was brought to a successful conclusion, especially for the alpinist. The mayor praised him for his ‘integrity’ in reporting his find to the police, as required by French law.
The alpinist, who wishes to remain anonymous, climbed the Boisson Glacier of Mont Blanc in 2013. During his journey he came across a metal box. It contained 49 bags labeled ‘Made in India’. They all contain gems. He took them with him and reported to the police in Albertville after his climb.
The French authorities stated that they would do everything they could to find the rightful owner of the treasure, but to no avail. French law states that the find must be split between the finder and the owner of the territory if the rightful owner has not been found after two years. It is not clear why this has only happened now.
plane crash
The treasure is linked to the 1966 crash of an Air India plane on Mont Blanc. French authorities believe the gems came from Flight 101, which was en route from Mumbai to London on January 24 with a stopover in other Geneva. After passing the 4808 meter high Mont Blanc, the pilot had to start the descent to the Swiss city, but did so before assuming he had already passed Europe’s highest mountain. The plane crashed on the Rocher de la Tournette (4,750 meters). All 106 passengers and 11 crew were killed. Among the victims was Homi Jehangir Bhabha, the pioneer of the Indian nuclear program.
Over the years, climbers regularly found debris, luggage and human remains from the Boeing 707. In September 2012, India confiscated a bag of diplomatic mail from the aircraft, which crashed on the southwest flank of Mont Blanc on January 24, 1966.
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