Khaberni - More than 300 years after it sank in the Caribbean Sea, scientists have begun to uncover the first treasures from the "San Jose" Spanish sailing ship, which sank in 1708 following an attack by an English fleet.
The Colombian authorities announced on Thursday that the research teams have succeeded in extracting a cannon, three coins, and a porcelain cup, in the first official recovery operation as part of the scientific survey launched last year to study the wreckage and understand the circumstances of the ship's sinking.
Colombian researchers had located the ship in 2015, a discovery that later sparked legal and diplomatic controversy among several parties.
Estimates suggest that the ship was loaded with nearly 11 million gold and silver coins, in addition to quantities of emeralds and other valuable cargoes collected from the Spanish colonies, and their total value could reach billions of dollars if fully recovered.
The Colombian government has stated that the current diving operations are not aimed at extracting treasures, but rather conducting a rigorous scientific study of the site.
It is noted that the wreckage lies at a depth of 6000 meters at the seabed, making its exploration one of the most complex archaeological operations in the depths of the ocean.
