CHAMONIX-MONT-BLANC, France — A mountain climber who found jewels and precious stones on Mont Blanc will get to keep some of the treasure.
In 2013, a French mountain climber scaling Mont Blanc found emeralds, rubies, and sapphires in a metal box on a glacier. The jewels were left from an Air India plane that crashed into the mountain in 1966 killing 117 people, France24 reported.
Gem experts valued the find at $168,700 (150,000 euros) and said the find would be divided equally between the climber and the local council of Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, CNN reported. The council will put its share on display at the Chamonix Crystal Museum.
In a Facebook post, the Chamonix-Mont-Blanc council shared photos of both the gems and the newspaper front page detailing the tragic 1966 crash.
[Le trésor du Kangchenjunga révélé] 💎💎💎 ➡️En 1966, le crash du Kangchenjunga, avion d'Air India, dans le Massif du...
Posted by Mairie de Chamonix-Mont-Blanc on Friday, December 3, 2021
An earlier Air India plane, “The Malabar Princess,” crashed into the same area of Mont Blanc in 1950, killing 48 people, CBS News reported.
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