2 Killed in Manila Hunt for Treasure
MANILA — Two Filipinos were killed while working for American treasure hunters seeking the fabled “Treasure of Yamashita†at historic Ft. Santiago in central Manila, it was reported Sunday.
Charles McDougald, 47, a spokesman for Las Vegas-based International Precious Metals Inc., told reporters the Filipinos were killed last Monday when a tunnel in the fort collapsed. Philippines President Corazon Aquino authorized the search for the fabled treasure of Japanese Lt. Gen. Tomoyuki Yamashita in December under an agreement that would give the government 75% of the find, said McDougald.
Known as the “Tiger of Malaya,†Yamashita was said to have amassed a fortune in gold and silver in the Malay Peninsula during World War II.
Yamashita was assigned to the Philippines in the last stages of the war and was captured when the nation was liberated. He was hanged as a war criminal.
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