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EspañolA truck carrying medical equipment with radioactive material was stolen in Tizayuca, Mexico, on December 2. The National Commission on Nuclear Security and Safeguarding (CNSNS) activated a warning protocol for federal, state, and municipal authorities, who started the search yesterday afternoon.
This Wednesday morning, CNSNS confirmed the theft of a vehicle that contained cobalt 60 (60Co), which has radiation 30 times more powerful than an equivalent amount of Plutonium 289. The truck was on its way to the National Institute for Nuclear Research, stopped at a gas station, when at approximately 1:30 am two armed men threatened and then kidnapped its driver — only for them to discard him as they fled with the vehicle.
Mexican authorities have reported this incident to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). “At the moment of the theft, the (radioactive) source was appropriately sealed . . . However, the source can be extremely dangerous for a person if the seals are removed or damaged,” IAEA said.
Source: CNN Mexico.
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