An amateur treasure hunter has died after falling down an 130-foot hole he dug under his kitchen floor after having a dream that there was gold buried under his property in Minas Gerais, Brazil.
João Pimenta, 71, lost his balance and plunged down the massive pit he excavated, which took over a year of digging and ended up being 35 inches wide and 13 storeys deep.
Neighbours said the pensioner had grown obsessed with the idea there was treasure underneath the property. Arnaldo da Silva (no relation) told local media:
‘Joao had spent more than a year digging the hole and hired many people to do the excavating work. He began by paying £11.30 (70 Brazilian Reais) a day when the hole was still shallow but the deeper he went the more the costs went up. He ended up paying around £80 to anyone who entered the hole and helped to remove earth. He had hit a large stone that appeared which was difficult to remove and there were rumours he had been talking about trying to get hold of dynamite.’
The neighbour said Joao claimed to have been told by a ‘spirit’ in a dream there was gold under the rock below his kitchen floor, and wouldn’t listen to anyone who told him it was a terrible idea to take the spirit seriously.
Apparently he slipped and plunged to his death from a wooden platform near the top of the hole as he tried to exit it following another day of removing water and mud. His body was removed by emergency services, and he was found to have suffered head injuries and broken legs as well as other fractures.
Just goes to show, you can’t be trusting spirits who visit you in your sleep and tell you that there is gold hidden underneath your kitchen. At the same time it’s pretty commendable that a 71-year-old man would take the time and effort to dig 13 storeys, just in case it was true. As they say, it’s good to keep yourself busy post-retirement. Just a shame he fell down and died, but at least he can say he was chasing his dream in the process (literally).
For the man in Russia fined £400 for having a dream about President Zelenskyy, click HERE. Bit harsh.