India, Aug. 13 -- Seven daily-wage workers in Madhya Pradesh's Panna district struck fortune after unearthing a high-value diamond from a leased shallow mine. The gem, reportedly weighing 17.96 carats, is estimated to be worth nearly Rs.50 lakh.

Akhilesh Pal and six others leased a mine in Panna's Sarokha village two years ago, reported PTI. However, they soon decided to shut the mine for a year, and it was only recently reopened. While visiting the land after heavy rainfall, Pal spotted the rock, which the labourers now expect will "change their lives".

"We had been mining there for about two years," Pal told the BBC, "but we had no luck, so we closed the mine for a year. We had started another mine right next to it."

He added, "When ...