The low level of the Danube River in the area of the Ruse village of Ryahovo has sparked a real treasure hunt, NOVA reports. After the recent discovery of mammoth remains, dozens of people began to walk the exposed river banks in search of antiques and gold, ignoring the prohibitions of the law and the serious risks to life from unexploded ordnance and underwater pits.
Among the people exploring the dry areas is the amateur explorer Rosen Petrov, popular on social networks as Top Roskata. During his expedition near several Ruse villages, he came across bones and objects that could date back to the Roman era. The man immediately reported the matter to an archaeologist from the Regional History Museum in Ruse, without moving the objects from their place.
"Acquisition, digging, or even transporting them to the museum is illegal, because it violates the integrity of the future study of the object or artifact. The law explicitly prohibits treasure hunting", recalls Petrov.
Despite legal restrictions, the decline in water levels is giving rise to legends about hidden gold. Local residents testify that people with metal detectors are regularly spotted on the shores near Ryahovo. Rosen Petrov is categorical that such actions are not only subject to prosecution, but also extremely life-threatening.
"Don't engage in nonsense that they will find gold. They may find something, but sooner or later they will be tracked down and they will have trouble", warns the amateur researcher. In addition to the legal consequences, walking along the riverbed poses a huge physical risk. "Such a walk along the Danube in the newly discovered areas hides great dangers. You may come across mines and bombs from World War II that have not been defused. There are also very dangerous metal objects. Walking along this bed is very dangerous and people should not do it", he appeals.
The concern is also shared by official institutions. Captain Kamen Zhekov, head of the "Emergency and Rescue Activity - Danube River" department at the General Directorate "River Supervision - Ruse", points to the relief of the riverbed itself as the main threat.
"Many people think that when the water is knee-deep, they can walk safely from the shore to the island. This is deceptive if you don't know the nature of the riverbed. "There are holes and a person can suddenly fall in and things can become fatal," the expert is categorical. He adds that the artifacts uncovered by the water often represent heavily corroded metal objects or unstable structures that can cause serious injuries to careless thrill seekers.