4 December 2013
Last updated at 19:31 ET
Photo released by Mexican authorities shows the radioactive material being loaded for transport
They say the box which contained the cobalt-60 had been
tampered with, but the material had not been removed from its protective
casing.
The material posed no health risk for the surrounding population, Mardonio Jimenez from the National Nuclear Security Commission told local TV.
The truck was stolen on Monday near the capital Mexico City.
'Opportunistic theft'
Mexico radioactive material found, 'no health risk'
Photo released by Mexican authorities shows the radioactive material being loaded for transport
Radioactive medical material taken when a truck was stolen in Mexico has been found, local officials say.
The material posed no health risk for the surrounding population, Mardonio Jimenez from the National Nuclear Security Commission told local TV.
The truck was stolen on Monday near the capital Mexico City.
'Opportunistic theft'
The vehicle was found abandoned barely 2km (1.4 miles) from where it had been stolen from a petrol station.
Mr Jimenez said the radioactive material was now in the hands of the authorities.
But he warned that the thieves had potentially been exposed to life-threatening levels of radiation and were being sought by the police.
"They will eventually have to go to a hospital, and we'll be waiting for them," Mr Jimenez said.
The military has sealed off the area.
The Volkswagen truck was stolen as its driver stopped to fill up the tank in Tepojaco.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) described the material as "extremely dangerous"
and there was some speculation that it could have been used to build a "dirty bomb".
However, it appears that this was an opportunistic theft which went badly wrong, the BBC's Will Grant in Mexico City reports.
Cobalt-60 is used in cancer treatment and was being transported from a hospital in the northern city of Tijuana to a disposal centre near the capital.
Mr Jimenez said the radioactive material was now in the hands of the authorities.
But he warned that the thieves had potentially been exposed to life-threatening levels of radiation and were being sought by the police.
"They will eventually have to go to a hospital, and we'll be waiting for them," Mr Jimenez said.
The military has sealed off the area.
The Volkswagen truck was stolen as its driver stopped to fill up the tank in Tepojaco.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) described the material as "extremely dangerous"
and there was some speculation that it could have been used to build a "dirty bomb".
However, it appears that this was an opportunistic theft which went badly wrong, the BBC's Will Grant in Mexico City reports.
Cobalt-60 is used in cancer treatment and was being transported from a hospital in the northern city of Tijuana to a disposal centre near the capital.
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