Purdue-led team begins dredging search for Earhart's plane at Nikumaroro
A 17-member team from Purdue University and the Archaeological Legacy Institute has arrived at Nikumaroro Island in Kiribati to investigate the 'Taraia Object,' a submerged shape in a lagoon that researchers believe may be the wreckage of Amelia Earhart's 1937 Lockheed Electra. The team plans to use hydraulic dredging to remove sediment and identify the object, which was first spotted in satellite imagery in 2020 but appears in photos dating back to 1938. While the expedition faces logistical hurdles, including giant coconut crabs and strong El Niño weather conditions, it represents the 20th major search for the aviator's plane. Critics, including the TIGHAR group, argue the object is likely a fallen tree, maintaining that the aircraft lies in deep water off the island's western end.
