An alert by federal authorities throughout southern Mexico remains valid, Excelsior daily newspaper informs of Thursday.
The truck, containing materials for industrial radiography, was stolen in the city of Cardenas in the southeastern state of Tabasco on Monday after employees parked it near a local mall.
The stolen material is identified as Iridium-192, a very dangerous radioactive substance if removed from protective casing. Exposure to unprotected iridium-192 can be fatal. Locals are advised not to touch radioactive material, establish a 30-yard security perimeter around the container and inform authorities.
Theft of radioactive substances is not uncommon in Mexico.
Last July, a truck transporting Iridium-192 was stolen in the suburb of Mexico City. Mexican authorities later found it abandoned not far from the place it was taken.
In the end of 2013, thieves stole a pickup carrying Cobalt-60, a necessary material for the creation of a so-called dirty bomb, according to the IAEA, UN’s nuclear watchdog.
