Spain could charge explorers

AUTHORITIES in Spain are looking into whether a US company can be charged with stealing Spanish heritage for excavating colonial-era treasure from a sunken British warship.

Odyssey Marine Exploration said on Friday it had discovered the ship — along with gold and silver coins worth an estimated $500 million (€370m) — somewhere in the Atlantic.

The treasure-hunting company would not say exactly where the ship was, citing security concerns, but said it was outside any country’s territorial waters.