PUT THAT AWAY

Dangerous Radioactive Capsule Found Near Roadside in Australia

The find comes after days of frantic search efforts and emergency health warnings.

Authorities in Australia have recovered a radioactive capsule that was lost in the Outback during transit nearly two weeks ago, sparking frantic search efforts and emergency health alerts. The tiny radioactive gauge component, thought to have fallen out of a truck while it was on its way from a desert mine site to a facility in Perth, was found Wednesday in a remote area more than 6 feet from a road, officials said. “When you consider the scope of the search area, locating this object was a monumental challenge, the search groups have quite literally found the needle in the haystack,” Western Australia’s emergency services minister, Stephen Dawson, was quoted as saying by Reuters. Members of the public had been urged to stay at least 16 feet away from the capsule to avoid possible radiation sickness, but authorities say those driving past it were exposed to about the same amount of radiation as an X-ray.