By Kashmira Gander From the Independent UK

The train is rumoured to contain armaments and valuables

The mystery of a Nazi gold train said to be buried in Poland has taken another strange turn, after the location where the armoured train is believed to be hidden was engulfed in flames – after the Polish government cast doubt over its existence.

The train has caught the imagination of locals in the town of Walbrzych and the international media alike, after two men told the authorities they had pinpointed the location of the train.

The vehicle is thought to be packed with armaments and valuables, that reportedly went missing in the spring of 1945 in the final days of WWII.

But despite the efforts of the authorities and treasure hunters, only rusty pieces of metal have so far been retrieved.

In the latest twist in the tale, the embankment by the of Wroclaw-Walbrzych train line in the southern- Polish town, which is thought to be the secret location of the train, went up in flames along with 216 square yards of forest and bush, The Telegraph reported.

A team of firefighters have brought the blaze under control with five fire trucks, after they were alerted to a fire at around 8pm on Sunday night.

Fire officers have said that the blaze was not an arson attack.

The fire comes as Polish authorities have said evidence that the train exists is “no stronger than similar claims made in past decades,” according to Bloomberg.

The tentative statement comes days after Poland’s culture minister, Piotr Zuchowski, claimed that he was “more than 99 per cent certain the train exists” after seeing its outline on an image from a ground-penetrating device.

Responding to the feverish civilian search operations sparked by the recent reports, the Polish authorities have blocked off and launched patrols in a wooded area near a railroad track, to stop treasure hunters and prevent any accidents.

“A few hectares (acres) of land are now being secured. People have been barred from the woods” surrounding the site, said provincial governor Tomasz Smolarz.

“Half of Walbrzych’s residents and other people are going treasure hunting or just for walks to see the site. We are worried for their security,” police spokeswoman Magdalena Koroscik told The Associated Press. People walking down the tracks can’t escape “a train that emerges from behind the rocks at 70 kph (43 mph).”

A man taking a selfie on the tracks reportedly narrowly missed being hit, she said.

Additional reporting by AP

IMAGE:
The city of Walbrzych, Poland, near which a Nazi gold train is believed to be hidden. (Image: AP)

For more on this story go to: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/nazi-gold-train-fire-engulfs-suspected-location-of-vehicle-10480323.html

See related iNews Cayman Story published August 27 2015 filed under iNews Briefs “Poland: Please stop looking for that ghost Nazi train rumored to be full of gold” at: http://www.ieyenews.com/wordpress/inews-briefs-more-community-events-62/

Related story:

Russia wants a piece of the possible treasure on the Nazi ghost train

By Amanda Macias From Business Insider

A tunnel with tracks for mining cars, part of the Nazi Germany “Riese” construction project, pictured near an area where a Nazi train is believed to be at, near Walbrzych southwestern Poland, on Monday.

Russia wants a cut of the stolen loot on the rumored Nazi gold train found near the Czech Republic, The Telegraph reports.

According to The Telegraph, the Russian website Sputnik interviewed a “human rights lawyer” regarding the rumored treasure stashed on a train of “military nature” between the Polish towns of Wroclaw and Walbrzych.

“Representatives of Russia should undoubtedly be involved in determining the value of the items discovered if the train is located,” lawyer Mikhail Joffe reportedly told Sputnik.

“If the property has been taken from territory, including USSR, then the cargo, in accordance with international law, must be passed to the Russian side, Joffe said, according to The Telegraph.

Polish culture minister Piotr Zuchowski spoke out against Russia’s attempt to preemptively claim some of the contents on the train.

“The analysis we have conducted with our lawyers quite clearly states that if the train is found, it will be owned by the State Treasury,” Zuchowski said in an interview with the Polish radio station Jedynka.

Zuchowski reportedly said in a news conference that if valuables are discovered on the train, the items will be “returned to the heirs of their former owners,” the Telegraph reports.

Robert Singer, CEO of the World Jewish Congress, released a statement on Friday saying, “Any items now being discovered in Poland may have been stolen from Jews before they were sent to death … it is essential that every measure is taken to return the property to its rightful owners or to their heirs.

“We very much hope that the Polish authorities will take the appropriate action in that respect.”

Poland’s Nazi ghost train legend

Earlier this month, two unidentified men said they found a lost World War II train, prompting military-history buffs, rail enthusiasts, and treasure hunters to search for the train.

Zuchowski asked people to stop looking for the cargo, saying, “There’s a huge probability that the train is booby-trapped.”

Police spokeswoman Magdalena Koroscik told the Associated Press that another growing concern was train accidents.

People can’t escape “a train that emerges from behind the rocks at 70 kph (43 mph),” the Associated Press reports.

Therefore the exact location of the 300-foot-long train is unknown except for that it is somewhere along a 13,000-foot track that winds through the Polish towns of Wroclaw and Walbrzych.

According to local folklore, the German train is believed to have vanished in 1945 with stolen gold, gems, and weapons while fleeing the Russians.

To secretly transport materials, the Nazis built several underground tunnels in the mountainous region of Walbrzych during World War II.

Despite some doubt of the train’s existence, Poland has requested that its army to investigate the site, according to Bloomberg.

Meanwhile, investigators in Poland have suggested that the recently discovered train “could be the first of many,” The Telegraph reports.

On Friday, Zuchowski said in a news conference that he was “99% convinced” that a Nazi military train was buried near the southwestern city of Walbrzych, the BBC reports. During the same news conference, Zuchowski referred to ground-penetrating radar images that show contours of an armored train equipped with gun turrets.

IMAGES:
Nazi tunnel Reuters
Polish train Reuters A railway security guard’s car seen next to people observing a cargo train traveling in an area where a Nazi train is believed to be at, in Walbrzych, southwestern Poland, on Sunday.
map Nazi train Google Maps/Amanda Macias/Business Insider The route where the Nazi ghost train was found.
Reuters A tunnel with tracks for mining cars, part of the Nazi Germany Riese construction project, pictured near an area where a Nazi train is believed to be at, near Walbrzych southwestern Poland, on Monday.
Piotr Zuchowski AP Deputy culture minister Piotr Zuchowski speaking to the press in Warsaw, Poland, on Friday.

For more on this story and video go to: http://www.businessinsider.com/russia-wants-nazi-ghost-train-2015-8#ixzz3kXbC07ay