After days of searching, it was found radioactive capsule lost by a truck that left a mine in Rio Tinto, in Australia. “It’s a good thing. Like I said, it was definitely a needle in a haystack and I think the people of Western Australia will have a better night’s sleep tonight,” he told reporters. Steve DawsonAustralian Minister of State for Emergency Services.
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Radioactive capsule found after days of searching
Authorities searched hundreds of miles of highway for the tiny capsule. It was eventually found on the side of a deserted road south of the town of Newman, near the mine from which it had been transported, said state emergency services official Darren Klemm. After six days of searching, one of the mobilized vehicles detected radiation as it drove along the highway. Authorities are now working to safely retrieve the capsule before they are moved to a safe location, Klemm said.
The 8mm x 6mm silver capsule used in mining contains a radioactive substance, cesium-137, which authorities say can cause acute radiation. It had been lost while being transported from a mine near the remote town of Newman to the northern (south-west) suburb of Perth, a distance of about 1,400 kilometers.