Basedon their appearance, local authorities believe they could be antiquities andhave asked archaeologists to verify the age of the items.
Local media cited SonthongVibounkuang, Director of the Bolikhamxay provincial Information,Culture and Tourism Department, as saying that people came across the relics insidethe cave, which is located in a wooded area, and notified authorities whobelieve that 13 of the Buddha statues are made of gold.
Authorities have placed the antiquitiesin a safe location in Nadee village.
Suchfindings are not uncommon in Laos. Ancient Buddha statues and relics have beenunearthed in many places, both hidden in containers and buried in the ground,according to local media./.