Tiny radioactive device found in Australia after desert hunt by government agencies
- Officials said capsule was detected by search vehicle travelling at 70km per hour; it was then found by portable equipment, 2 metres from the side of the road
- Specialist equipment picked up radiation emitting from the widget, which went missing last month, apparently while being moved from a Rio Tinto iron ore mine
A tiny but dangerous radioactive widget that fell off a truck on a remote road in Western Australia has been recovered after a search involving multiple government agencies.
The capsule, about the size of a pea, went missing last month, apparently while being ferried by a specialist contractor from one of Rio Tinto Plc’s massive iron ore mines in the Pilbara to a depot in Perth.
Health authorities had warned anyone who managed to spot the device not to pick it up.
“The radioactive substance has been found and no longer poses a risk to the community,” Emergency WA said on its website on Wednesday.
Officials said the capsule was found south of the mining town of Newman on the Great Northern Highway. It was detected by a search vehicle travelling at 70km (43 miles) per hour when specialist equipment picked up radiation emitting from the capsule.
Portable search equipment was then used to locate it 2 metres (6.5 feet) from the side of the road.
“This is an extraordinary result … they have quite literally found the needle in the haystack,” said Emergency Services Minister Stephen Dawson. “I think West Australians can sleep better tonight.”
