The 2 men who claim they found a Nazi ghost train share 'irrefutable proof of its existence'
Identifying themselves as Andreas Richter and Piotr Koper, the men appeared on TVP.INFO and read a prepared statement, the Associated Press reports?.
"As the finders of a World War II armored train, we, Andreas Richter and Piotr Koper, declare that we have legally informed state authorities about the find and have precisely indicated the location in the presence of Walbrzych authorities and the police," Koper said, according to the Associated Press.
"We have irrefutable proof of its existence," he added.
According to Koper, he and Richter found the train by using their "own resources, eyewitness testimony, and our own equipment and skills," the AP notes.
Along with their statement, the men released an image taken with ground penetrating radar that purportedly shows the armored Nazi train.
According to local folklore, the German train is believed to have vanished in 1945 with stolen gold, gems, and weapons while fleeing the Russians.The only living source of the train legend, retired miner Tadeusz Slowikowski, confirmed to the Associated Press that Koper and Richter shared their findings with him before alerting authorities.
Slowikowski, who searched for the train in 2001, believes it is near the 65th kilometer of railway tracks from Wroclaw to Walbrzych.
According to Koper and Richter's statement, the train is not in a tunnel, as previously thought, but buried under ground.
Meanwhile, investigators in Poland have suggested that the recently discovered train "could be the first of many," The Telegraph reports.
Koper and Richter, who are by law entitled to a 10% reward, have offered to help cover the costs of the train's excavation and hope it will become a local tourist attraction in the future.
Despite Russia's preemptive claims to some of the cargo on the train, the items will be "returned to the heirs of their former owners," the Telegraph reports.