Second World War map sparks hunt for Nazi-looted treasure in Dutch village

The map showing where the Nazi loot was reportedly buried in Ommeren, near Arnhem, is seen at the National Archive of the Netherlands in The Hague (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

A hand-drawn map with a red letter X purportedly showing the location of a buried stash of precious jewellery looted by Nazis from a blown-up bank vault has sparked a modern-day treasure hunt in a tiny Dutch village.

Armed with metal detectors, shovels and copies of the map on mobile phones, treasure hunters have descended on Ommeren — population 715 — about 80 kilometres (50 miles) south east of Amsterdam to try to dig up a potential Second World War trove based on the drawing first published on January 3.