One of the world's largest diamonds ever unearthed – a rough 2,492-carat stone – has been found in Botswana, a Canadian mining company that discovered the gem announced Thursday.
The diamond was found in the Karowe Diamond Mine in northeastern Botswana, about 430 kilometers (270 miles) from the capital, Gaborone, Lucara Diamond Corp. said in a statement.
Lucara did not give value to the find or mention its quality.
In terms of carats, the stone appears to be not far behind the largest gem-quality diamond ever mined, the 3,016.75-carat Cullinan Diamond discovered in South Africa in 1905.
"We are ecstatic about the recovery of this extraordinary 2,492-carat diamond," Lucara president and CEO William Lamb said in the statement.
This find was "one of the largest rough diamonds ever unearthed" and detected using the company's Mega Diamond Recovery X-ray technology, the statement said.
President Mokgweetsi Masisi was due to view the massive stone later Thursday.
Botswana is one of the world's largest producers of diamonds, and it is its main income source.
Before the find was announced on Thursday, the largest diamond recovered in Botswana was a 1,758-carat stone mined by Lucara in 2019 and named Sewelo.
