A truck carrying potentially "extremely dangerous" radioactive material intended for medical use has been stolen in Mexico, the UN atomic watchdog says.
"At the time the truck was stolen, the source was properly shielded. However, the source could be extremely dangerous to a person if removed from the shielding, or if it was damaged," the International Atomic Energy Agency said on Wednesday.
The truck was transporting a cobalt-60 teletherapy source from a hospital in the northern city of Tijuana to a radioactive waste storage centre when it was stolen in Tepojaco near Mexico City, the IAEA said.
The agency said it was informed about the December 2 theft by Mexico's CNSNS nuclear security authority.
"The Mexican authorities are currently conducting a search for the source and have issued a press release to alert the public," the IAEA said in a statement.
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The material can't be used in a conventional nuclear weapon, but it could in theory be put in a so-called "dirty bomb" - an explosive device spreading the radioactive material over a wide area.
Experts have long warned about the danger posed by the large amounts of such material held in hospitals and other locations across the world under insufficient security.
