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He has probably been missing since late February, but operators only alerted police last Friday, the Bangkok Post newspaper reported Thursday, citing authorities. The radioisotope is used, among other things, in industrial measuring equipment.

A reward of 50,000 Thai baht (about $1,400) has been offered for information on the whereabouts of the container weighing about 25 kilograms, said the head of the province’s public health services, Surin Suebsueng. “If you find anything that looks like the caesium-137 cylinder, inform the authorities. Stay away and don’t try to open it,” Suebsueng said.

A special team has been set up to monitor possible cases of illness from the radioactive substance. However, no such case has been discovered so far.

While authorities initially traced a possible theft, it is now said that the cylinder may have been lost in transit to another location. Among other things, the container was searched for at scrap dealers in the area.

In late January, a radioactive capsule fell off a truck while being transported from a mine to a depot in Western Australia. Experts and emergency services searched feverishly for days for the capsule, which also contained caesium-137. Finally, the small capsule was found on the side of the road in the outback. No one was injured. (sda/dpa)