A search has been launched in Switzerland to find the owner of a gold haul left on a train.

Gold bars

Gold bars

Efforts are being made to return the 3kg of gold that was left on a train between St Gallen and Lucerne, BBC News reports.

The haul, which is worth over £150,000, was left behind in October and the search has now been made public, after efforts to track down the owner failed.

Officials in Lucerne have given the owner five years to stake their claim for the gold.

However, it's unclear how authorities will verify the claims of those who come forward to claim the haul as their own.