A small radioactive capsule that the Australian authorities had been searching for since mid-January was found after it went missing while it was being transported by truck from a mine belonging to the “Rio Tinto” group, according to what the authorities announced on Wednesday.

“It’s good news,” Western Australian State Emergency Services Minister Steve Dawson told reporters. Finding the capsule is like finding a needle in a haystack… I think Western Australians will sleep peacefully tonight,” reports Al-Rai daily quoting AFP.

The “Rio Tinto” group, a British-Australian company specialized in mineral extraction, apologized Monday for the loss of the small capsule. The authorities traveled hundreds of miles on highways looking for her.

State emergency services official Darren Clem said the capsule was finally found on the side of the road south of Newman, near the mine from which it was taken. After six days of searches, one of the vehicles entrusted with the search mission detected radiation while driving on the highway.

Klim pointed out that the authorities are currently working to recover the capsule as part of safety measures, before moving it to a place designated for it.

The authorities explained that the silver capsule, which is no more than 8 centimeters in size and is used in mineral extraction operations, contains a radioactive substance, “Cesium 137”, which has the ability to produce sharp radiation.

The capsule was lost while it was being transported by truck from a mine located near the remote Newman area to the outskirts of Perth (southwest). The two regions are separated by 1,400 km.


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