A truck carrying a dangerous radioactive medical equipment used for cancer treatments was stolen on Monday in Tepojaco near Mexico City, BBC reports.
The material could in theory be made into a "dirty bomb" that would spread the radioactive material over a wide area.
Agence France-Presse notes that experts have long warned about the danger posed by the large amounts of such material held in hospitals and other locations around the world under insufficient security.
The truck was transporting a cobalt-60 teletherapy source from a hospital in the northern city of Tijuana to a radioactive waste storage center when the 2.5-ton Volkswagen Worker was stolen at a gas station, according to local media.
Jon Williams of ABC tweeted a picture of the equipment:
"At the time the truck was stolen, the source was properly shielded. However, the source could be extremely dangerous to a person if removed from the shielding, or if it was damaged," the International Atomic Energy Agency said.