Highway construction workers stumbled upon a rich vein of emeralds in Puerto, in Colombia’s northwestern Boyaca department.
While drilling on the Pauna-Puerto Boyaca route, construction workers discovered a vein of emeralds in an area locals know as “The Devil’s Nose.”
The find has peaked the interest of treasure hunters who have since swarmed the scene.
“There were a lot of people, we’re talking about 200 people were on site trying to find the precious stones,“ the mayor of Pauna, Omar Casallas told Caracol Radio.
People arrived in such droves that the area had to be cordoned off to maintain public order.