A minor car accident turned into a major police operation in Val-des-Monts, Outaouais, on Thursday morning after a briefcase containing a device with radioactive properties was thrown from a vehicle.
The collision with minor injuries occurred around 11 a.m. at the intersection of lines 307 and 366.
After the two-car accident, one of the two drivers began to search for the suitcase, which contained a nucleodensimeter. This briefcase ended up in an apartment building.
“It is a soil density measuring device that could prove dangerous if misused or damaged because it has radioactive properties,” the Collines-de-l’Outaouais Public Safety MRC explained in a Facebook post.
As a preventive measure, a security perimeter was set up to assess the situation.
“Around 2:10 p.m., an official from the company that owned the device was able to confirm that there was no danger and everything was recovered,” authorities added.
Route 307, which was closed to traffic, was then reopened.