A frantic six-day search across the desolate wastes of the Australian Outback finally found a lost pea-sized radioactive device Wednesday after it had fallen off the back of a truck somewhere along a deserted 870-mile stretch of highway.
Western Australia Emergency Services Minister Stephen Dawson said it was found 110 miles south of Newman on the Great Northern Highway earlier in the day.
“I do want to emphasise this is an extraordinary result,” he said at a press conference to declare the search over, ABC News reports.
The potentially deadly capsule was found by a team from the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation and the Department of Fire and Emergency Services.
An urgent public warning was initially issued after the caesium-137 capsule was reported missing on January 25 when it apparently parted ways with a truck transporting it from a Rio Tinto mine to Perth.
The loss was not reported for more than a week after the driver of the vehicle neglected to notify anyone his load was somewhat less than when he started.
The capsule which measures 6mm in diameter by 8mm in height is used in mining equipment but can lead to dangerously high doses of radiation if mishandled.
Western Australians were warned of the missing capsule in an extraordinary press conference held late last Friday afternoon.
The state’s Chief Health Officer Andy Robertson warned at the time it could be anywhere between Perth and the Pilbara, an area stretching for almost 1,000 miles and traversing the biggest state in Australia.
Dr Robertson said it was a great result the capsule had been found because although it was tiny, it “did pose a significant public health risk,” he admitted.
In this photo provided by the Department of Fire and Emergency Services, its members search for a radioactive capsule believed to have fallen off a truck being transported on a freight route on the outskirts of Perth, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023. (Department of Fire and Emergency Services via AP)
A contrite chief executive of the mining giant Rio Tinto Iron Ore, Simon Trott, has apologized for the incident and expressed gratitude for the find.
“A pretty incredible recovery when you think of the distances involved, and also the remoteness of the terrain, and I think that really speaks to the tenacity of all those who were involved in the search,” Trott said.