Thieves deploy explosives to steal gold 'masterpieces' from a Dutch museum.

 Thieves deploy explosives to steal gold 'masterpieces' from a Dutch museum.

Drents Museum director Harry Tupan described the burglary as the most significant incident in the museum's 170-year history, leaving staff "intensely shocked.Police were alerted to the scene following reports of an explosion at 3:45 a.m. local time (4:45 a.m. GMT) on Saturday. Forensic investigators and officers reviewed CCTV footage throughout the day to gather evidence.

Authorities are also investigating a burning vehicle discovered on a nearby road, which they believe may be connected to the burglary. "A possible scenario is that the suspects switched to another vehicle in the vicinity of the fire," stated Dutch police.

No arrests have been made, but investigators suspect multiple individuals were involved. The global policing agency Interpol has been called in to assist with the investigation.

Four ancient gold artifacts were stolen during an overnight raid at the Drents Museum in Assen early Saturday morning.

The thieves used explosives to force entry into the museum, which was hosting an exhibition of priceless Romanian jewelry crafted from gold and silver. Among the stolen items were three Dacian spiral bracelets and the exhibition's centerpiece, the elaborately decorated Helmet of Cotofenesti, a nearly 2,500-year-old artifact.

Romania's Ministry of Culture has vowed to take all possible measures to recover the stolen treasures, which had been on loan to the Dutch museum from Bucharest.