Lorry transporting radioactive cargo found EMPTY in Mexico

[cronus]

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world ... 86394.html

Lorry transporting radioactive cargo found EMPTY in Mexico, but hijackers expected to die within days

A lorry that was stolen while transporting a deadly cargo of highly-radioactive cobalt-60 has been found empty in Mexico.

The lorry was found in a car park near the small farming town Hueypoxtia - close to where it was hijacked while the toxic material was being transferred to a hospital to be used in cancer treatments.

The discovery has prompted fears that the missing haul could be used by terrorists to create a “dirty bomb”, with the cobalt-60’s radiation levels high enough to cause mass panic and some loss of life if detonated in a major city.

Investigators said that they believe the identity of the thieves will emerge over the coming days, but revealed they are not expecting it to come as a result of a police investigation.

Instead, the level of radiation the thieves would have been exposed to while handling the cobalt-60 would have been so intense that they may have only days to live – and it could be just hours before they are forced to seek hospital treatment. In fact, according to Juan Eibenschutz, director of the Mexican Nuclear Agency, direct exposure to cobalt-60 could result in death within a few minutes.

In an interview with Associated Press, Eibenschutz said local hospitals have been asked to report anyone treated for exposure.

Countering concerns that the 4,000 people living in the farming village close to the abandoned lorry could be in danger, Eibenschutz added that the material poses little to no threat to human life if kept at a distance of at least 500 yards.

(continued)

[MiM]

That's old news and crappy reporting, anyway. You'll get better information even from reading Razz: http://rationalia.com/forum/viewtopic.p ... 0#p1525681


http://www.iaea.org/newscenter/news/201 ... urce3.html

[FBM]

Too soon?

[Clinton Huxley]

Is there a delay on Scrumple at the moment?

[klr]

Mexican Cobalt-60 robbers are DEAD MEN, say authorities

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/12/06 ... ft_mexico/