Treasure hunters flock to Siberia

Russia is under the spell of gold fever.

Presumably it involves large quantities. An airplane lost a load of about nine tons yesterday. Part has been recovered, but the official lectures vary. According to the mining company that transported it, everything has been recovered. The police say that 3.5 tons is justified. That would mean that the majority is still looking.

'We do not know the truth either, everything is top secret', an employee from the airport replies, if a Russian newspaper has made the same calculation. Meanwhile, all possible details about the flight are questioned- for example, whether diamonds were indeed on board, and what company the aircraft was. Deny all possible flight companies.

Most Russians have not waited for the official counts. On videos of the Siberian Times you can see how local residents are searching en masse. 'Of course they lied to us,' Nikolay tells the newspaper. 'Not everything has been found. They just want to prevent gold from disappearing. I have lived here for years and never has there been such a tumult. '