Authorities in West Australia were searching for a tiny but potentially deadly radioactive capsule that got lost while being transported on a truck from a mine to a depot in the city of Perth, officials said Saturday.
Emergency services said they were hampered by a lack of equipment and have called on the Commonwealth and other states to provide assistance.
"What we're not doing is trying to find a tiny little device by eyesight," said Superintendent Darryl Ray, adding they were concentrating on populated areas north of Perth and strategic sites along the Great Northern Highway.Authorities were also using the truck's GPS data to determine the exact route the driver took and where it stopped after it left the mine on or about Jan. 10.
Rio Tinto said it contracted an expert radioactive materials handler to package the capsule and transport it "safely" to the depot and was not told it was missing until Wednesday. "We believe the vibration of the truck may have impacted the integrity of the gauge, that it fell apart and the source actually came out of it," he said. "It is unusual for a gauge to come apart like this one has."
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