Dhaka, Oct. 19 -- A US expedition searching for the missing aircraft of pioneering aviator Amelia Earhart has found that an object initially suspected to be plane debris was a cluster of washed-up trees, the Guardian reports.

The 17-member team travelled to Nikumaroro, a remote atoll in the Pacific island nation of Kiribati, after satellite images and aerial footage appeared to show a reflective object in shallow waters.

Researchers spent four days surveying the area, including using metal detectors, but found no conclusive evidence of Earhart's aircraft.

Purdue University, which helped fund the expedition, said the object was likely a collection of large trees deposited along a sandy peninsula. The apparent metallic glint was caused b...