MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Mexican authorities have found and safely stored a stolen container containing radioactive materials, National Coordinator for Civil Defense Luis Felipe Puente said on Thursday.
"The container with a radioactive source was found in the state of Nuevo Leon. It has been confirmed that the stolen radioactive source is in a safe place… there is no risk for the population," the official wrote on his Twitter page.
Thieves steal radioactive material in Mexico again https://t.co/6ED4nNEbKq pic.twitter.com/04jrp2eYMp
— The Independent (@UGIndependent) 3 августа 2017 г.
The theft of the container was announced on Wednesday by the country's Interior Ministry, which declared an alert in the states of Nuevo Leon, Coahuila, Zacatecas, Tamaulipas and San Luis Potosi.
Mexico has already faced a number of crimes related to radioactive materials, with the most recent case recorded in February and April of this year. In April 2013, a container containing the cobalt-60 isotope was stolen, while in three separate cases in 2014, 2015 and 2016, criminals stole iridium isotopes. All radioactive materials were eventually found, with even one the incidents resulting in the thieves' hospitalization.
