A team of treasure hunters believe they are close to finding the “world’s largest treasure hoard” after searching for it for more than 30 years.
The team, known as the ‘Temple Twelve’, have been searching for the treasure trove in Finland since 1987.
The target of their search, the ‘Lemminkainen Hoard’, is said to be worth $27 billion and consists of gold, jewels, and artefacts.
According to The Sun, the discovery of the hoard would make it the most valuable collection of treasures to be found.
The hoard is believed to include 50,000 gems and around 1000 artefacts that are thousands of years old, as well as a number of 18-carat gold life-size statues.
The team — who have come together from all over the world — have spent their summers searching for the treasure, working six hours a day, seven days a week.
The exploits of the team have been detailed in the book Temporarily Insane, written by the world-leading authority on the Lemminkainen Hoard, Carl Borgen.
“I understand that significant progress at the temple has been made and that the crew are feeling especially excited about the months ahead,” Mr Borgen told The Mirror.
“There is now talk in the camp of being on the brink of a major breakthrough, which in real terms could be the discovery of the world’s largest and most valuable treasure trove.”
The hoard is believed to be in an underground temple in Sipoo which has remained sealed since 987 AD.
With the team’s latest progress, it is believed they will be able to locate and excavate the site next summer when they resume work in September 2022.
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This article first appeared on Over60.