Radioactive material stolen in Mexico

A truck containing potentially "extremely dangerous" radioactive material has been stolen in Mexico's northern city of Tijuana, the UN atomic watchdog said.

The International Atomic Energy Agency said on Wednesday that the vehicle was transporting a cobalt-60 from a hospital from a hospital to a radioactive waste storage centre when it was stolen.

"The Mexican authorities are currently conducting a search for the source and have issued a press release to alert the public," the IAEA said in a statement.

The material could not be used in a conventional nuclear weapon but could in theory be put in a so-called "dirty bomb" - an explosive device spreading the radioactive material over a wide area.

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 Agency was informed about the December 2 theft by Mexico's CNSNS nuclear security authority, the IAEA said.