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Published: November 2, 2021, 10:08; updated: November 2, 2021, 13:47

A TEAM of treasure һᴜпteгѕ may soon discover the “world’s largest treasure hoard,” which is estimated to be worth £15 billion.

The team, known as the “Temple Twelve,” have been searching in Finland for the “Lemminkainen Hoard” which consists of gold, jewels and artefacts since 1987.

If the hoard is discovered it is thought it will be the most valuable haul ever to be found.

The group have been spending their summers searching for the treasure, working six-hour days, seven days a week.

The massive hoard is thought to include some 50,000 gemstones including rubies, sapphires, emeralds and diamonds.

Around 1,000 artefacts dating back thousands of years are also thought to be part of the hoard along with a number of 18-carat gold life-size statues.

Members of the group have travelled from all over the world, including Russia, Australia, the US, Sweden, Norway, Germany and the Netherlands, to join in the hunt.

The world-leading authority on the Lemminkainen Hoard Carl Borgen has detailed the lives of the hunters and the treasure in his book Temporarily Insane.

Borgen, 60, told “I understand that significant progress at the temple has been made and that the crew are feeling especially excited about the months ahead.

“There is now talk in the camp of being on therink of a major breakthrough, which in real terms could be the discovery of the world’s largest and most valuable treasure trove.”

The existence of the treasure was acknowledged in 1984 when landowner Ior Bock claimed his family were direct descendants of Lemminkäinen, who appear in Finnish pagan mythology.

Bock claimed the chamber on his estate had been sealed up with stone slabs in the 10th century to protect the treasure from invaders.