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Spain claims shipwreck treasure

The Spanish government has demanded that treasure salvaged from a shipwreck in the North Atlantic be handed over, claiming the sunken ship was Spanish.

Some 17 tonnes of gold and silver coins, worth $500m (£255m), was salvaged in May 2007 by a US firm.

Spain is suing the Florida-based Odyssey Marine Exploration, saying it is the rightful owner of the treasure.

A lawyer for the country said there was "multiple evidence" that the vessel was a famous 19th-Century Spanish galleon.
Read entire article at BBC