Unesco urges Colombia not to exploit shipwreck treasure

The United Nations cultural agency has called on Colombia not to commercially exploit the 300-year-old wreck of the Spanish galleon San Jose, which is believed to contain a cargo worth billions of pounds.

A Unesco experts' body protecting underwater cultural heritage sent a letter to Colombian culture minister Mariana Garces Cordoba expressing concern that recovering the treasure for sale rather than for its historical value "would cause the irretrievable loss of significant heritage".