According to Reuters, a 6 mm diameter by 8 mm long capsule of radioactive Cesium-137 was lost along the 1400 km road between a storage facility in suburban Perth and Rio Tinto’s Gudai-Darri iron mine in the Kimberley region of western Australia. The source was lost sometime between January 12 and the 25th, 2023. The capsule had been attached to a piece of equipment in a crate but evidently vibrated loose in transport from a road train– a multi-trailer vehicle- and fell off. While the activity was not disclosed the source was described as one that “emits radiation equal to 10 X-rays per hour”.

On February 1, 2023, the source was reportedly located after a week-long search along the 1400 km road. It was discovered by a vehicle moving at 70 kph with special detection equipment.