Brisbane, Australia CNN —
Authorities scanning a remote Australian highway for a tiny missing radioactive capsule have found it by the roadside, after a challenging search likened to trying to find a needle in a haystack.
State emergency authorities announced the discovery on Wednesday afternoon, six days after the capsule was discovered missing from a package sent from a mining site in the state’s north to the capital Perth.
Authorities believe the capsule, containing Caesium-137, a highly radioactive substance, somehow fell off the back of a truck as it was being transported 1,400 kilometers (870 miles) along the Great Northern Highway.
The capsule’s disappearance sparked a massive search of the highway with specialized radiation detection units – and prompted warnings to the public not to approach the capsule, which could cause serious burns on contact with skin.
This is a developing story – more to come
