Missing Radioactive Capsule Found On Remote Road In Western Australia, Say Authorities

The Australian authorities have said that they have found the missing radioactive capsule in the country. The tiny capsule went missing last week.

The six-day hunt came to an end after a search vehicle detected radiation while travelling along the highway.

Source : AFP

New Delhi: The Australian authorities have said that they have found the missing radioactive capsule in the country, as reported by the news agency AFP. The tiny capsule went missing last week. According to an emergency services official, the capsule was found along a 1,400 km stretch of highway, Reuters reported.

According to AFP, a tiny but dangerously radioactive capsule, which fell off a truck along a remote stretch of desert highway in Australia, has been found, authorities say. The six-day hunt came to an end after a search vehicle detected radiation while travelling along the highway.

The capsule was being verified by the military and it would be taken to a secure facility in Perth on Thursday, Emergency Services Minister Stephen Dawson said in a news conference, as reported by Reuters.

The radioactive capsule, part of a gauge used to measure iron ore density, is believed to have fallen from a truck during transportation, sparking a radiation alert. The gauge was entrusted to a specialist contractor by Rio Tinto Ltd and the company issued an apology on Monday for the loss, which could have occurred over the past two weeks, the report said.

The Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) had joined the hunt for a missing radioactive capsule in the west of the country. The agency announced it is working with the Western Australian government to locate the capsule, news agency Reuters reported.

The search operations were carried out by the authorities along a 1,400-km route from the north of Newman to a storage facility in the northeast suburbs of Perth. The search was led by the state's Department of Fire and Emergency Services and radiation experts, with support from the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO). ARPANSA said ANSTO had sent teams of specialists and detection equipment to assist in the search. A fresh alert was issued for motorists in Western Australia. 

The motorists were advised by the state emergency officials to stay cautious while driving near the search party on the Great Northern Highway, which is Australia's longest. They were asked to take care when approaching, “and use caution when overtaking”, since DFES and radiation specialists were conducting a slow-speed search in both north and south directions, the Reuters report said.

According to the report, the gauge was picked up from Rio Tinto's Gudai-Darri mine site on January 12. It was found broken, with one of its four mounting bolts missing and screws gone, when it was unpacked for inspection on January 25.