Six people tested for possible radiation exposure have been released from hospital but remain under detention as suspects in the theft of a truck carrying highly radioactive cobalt-60, officials said Friday.
Of the detained men, ages 16 to 38, only the 16-year-old showed signs of radiation exposure and he was in good health, a spokeswoman for Hidalgo’s Health Department said on condition of anonymity. The six were detained on Thursday and taken to the general hospital in Pachuca.
After being cleared by health authorities on Friday, they were turned over to federal authorities in connection with the case of the cargo truck stolen on Monday. The cobalt-60 it was carrying was from obsolete radiation therapy equipment.
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The theft triggered alerts in six Mexican states and Mexico City, as well as international notifications.