Finder of huge gold nugget under govt protection

A herder shows a gold nugget in his house in Qinghe county, Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, Feb 5, 2015. [Photo: China News Service/ Zhu Xinfeng]

(ECNS) - A herdsman who found a 7.85-kilogram gold nugget in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region is under government protection, local news portal yaxin.com reports.

Kazak herdsman Berek Sawut from Qinghe county in Altay prefecture found the nugget "practically laying on bare ground." Its estimated price is a whopping 1.6 million yuan ($255,000).

An official from Qinghe county said the local government organized a special meeting to discuss the ownership of the gold nugget.

He denied that the government had offered to pay 5 million yuan to purchase it from the herdsman, adding that security measures had been taken to protect him and his family.

The official also said someone had called and offered 10 million yuan to buy the gold nugget, which is about 23 centimeters long, 18 centimeters on its widest side and 8 centimeters at its thickest.