• An emergency search is underway along the 1,400km (870 mile) route for the device.
• The capsule contains a trace amount of radioactive Caesium-137.
• It could poison anyone who comes into contact with it.

Rio Tinto has apologized for the loss of a tiny radioactive capsule that went missing while being transported across Western Australia.

An emergency search is underway along the 1,400km (870 mile) route for the device, which is about the size of a pea.

The capsule contains a trace amount of radioactive Caesium-137, which could poison anyone who comes into contact with it.

Rio Tinto has apologized for the disappearance of a tiny radioactive capsule while it was being transported across Western Australia.

An emergency search for the device, which is about the size of a pea, is underway along the 1,400km (870 mile) route.

There is a trace amount of radioactive Caesium-137 in the capsule, which could poison anyone who comes into contact with it.

There is also concern that if it is discovered by a member of the public, they may keep it as a souvenir.

Authorities are emphasising that holding the capsule may result in radiation burns, and that long-term exposure may cause cancer.

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