A A highly radioactive capsule that went missing while being transported to Western Australia in January has been found, authorities say, ending a harrowing search for an object that can cause skin burns and even cancer.
Authorities said emergency services had “literally found the needle in the haystack,” the BBC reported early Wednesday. The search took place over an 870-mile stretch from a desert mine to the city of Perth, where the capsule was believed to have fallen from a truck.
AUSTRALIAN MINING COMPANY APOLOGIZES FOR LOST RADIOACTIVE DEVICE
In this photo provided by the Department of Fire and Emergency Services, members search for a radioactive capsule believed to have fallen from a truck being transported on a freight route outside Perth, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023 .A The mining corporation apologized Sunday for missing the highly radioactive capsule along a 1,400-kilometer (870-mile) stretch of Western Australia as authorities combed parts of the road for the tiny but dangerous substance. (Department of Fire and Emergencies via AP)
AP
The Associated Press reported that the truck carrying the capsule arrived at a depot in Perth on January 16, but emergency services were only notified of the missing capsule on January 25. Simon Trott, the chief executive of mining giant Rio Tinto Iron Ore, said the company acknowledged that “this is clearly very concerning” and apologized for worrying the public.
The ceramic source of cesium 137, which is used in radiation meters, emits dangerous amounts of radiation, equivalent to receiving 10 X-rays in one hour.
In this photo provided by the Department of Fire and Emergency Services, members search for a radioactive capsule believed to have fallen from a truck being transported on a freight route outside Perth, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023 .A The mining corporation apologized Sunday for missing the highly radioactive capsule along a 1,400-kilometer (870-mile) stretch of Western Australia as authorities combed parts of the road for the tiny but dangerous substance. (Department of Fire and Emergencies via AP)
MEDIA AND CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS/AP
Trott and Rio Tinto Iron Ore promised to investigate how the capsule disappeared. Police determined the incident was an accident and criminal charges are unlikely.
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The state’s desert is extremely remote and one of the least populated places in the country, with only one in five of Western Australia’s population living outside Perth, according to the BBC.
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