MEXICO CITY – A container of highly radioactive material stolen last week in the southeastern state of Tabasco was recovered intact and unopened Wednesday, Mexican authorities said.
The industrial X-ray machine containing iridium-192 was found abandoned beneath a highway overpass about 20 kilometers (12 miles) from where it was stolen, the state government said.
“In the interest of everyone’s peace of mind, I inform you that the stolen capsule of iridium-192 has been recovered,” Tabasco Gov. Arturo Nuñez said on Twitter.
The capsule was not tampered with, according to the state government.
Experts from Mexico’s CNSNS nuclear safety commission were on hand to verify “the identity and safety status of the radioactive source,” the Nuñez administration said in a statement.
The radioactive material was inside a truck stolen on April 13.
Authorities immediately issued an alert for Tabasco and the neighboring states of Campeche, Chiapas, Oaxaca and Veracruz, warning that even brief exposure to the iridium-192 could cause serious harm.
No comments:
Post a Comment