Thai officials search for radioactive cylinder from plant

By KAWEEWIT KAEWJINDA
Associated Press

BANGKOK (AP) — Authorities in Thailand have expanded their search for a metal cylinder with radioactive contents that has gone missing from a power plant, warning the public that it poses a danger to health. The 12-inch-long, 55-pound cylinder containing the radioactive material Caesium-137 was discovered missing last Friday from a piece of machinery at a steam power plant in Prachinburi province east of Bangkok. Authorities have searched junk shops, scrap metal yards and secondhand stores in Prachinburi and neighboring Chachoengsao province. Health officials warned the public that extended contact with the cylinder could have serious short and long-term consequences. The material has similar physical characteristics to salt and can disperse easily if its container opened.