A Nazi treasure train rumoured to have vanished along with its cargo of gold, gems and guns in Poland at the end of World War Two may have been found, according to reports.

 

Local folklore has it that the armoured train entered a tunnel near a cliff-top mediaeval castle near the southwestern city of Walbrzych as the Red Army approached in 1945 and never came out.

 

The tunnel was later closed and its location forgotten.

 

But now a German and a Polish man claim to have found the train and are seeking 10% of the value of the haul.

 

A law firm representing the pair has contacted the local authority saying they will reveal its location if they receive a share.

 

Marika Tokarska, an official at Walbrzych district council, said: "Lawyers, the army, the police and the fire brigade are dealing with this.

 

"The area has never been excavated before and we don't know what we might find."

 

Local media report the train was loaded with treasure from the then eastern German city of Breslau, now called Wroclaw and part of Poland.

 

Radio Wroclaw said the 150m (495ft) long train was carrying guns, "industrial equipment", gems and other precious cargo.

 

Another media report said the train belonged to the German army.

 

However, others argue there is no evidence the mystery train ever existed.

 

Radio Wroclaw quoted local historian Joanna Lamparska, who said: "A handful of people have already looked for the train, damaging the line in the process, but nothing was ever found.

 

"But the legend has captured imaginations."

 

Trains were used by the Nazi regime to transport looted valuables back to Berlin in the face of the allied forces' advance 70 years ago.

(Sky News)