Missing radioactive capsule in Australia turns up on a remote road

() — A missing small radioactive capsule in Australia has been found by the side of a road, after a challenging search akin to trying to find a needle in a haystack.

Officials in the state of Western Australia announced the discovery on Wednesday afternoon, six days after the capsule was found to be missing from a package sent from a mining site in the north of the state to the state capital, Perth.

Authorities believe the capsule, which contained a highly radioactive cesium-137 substance, somehow fell off the back of a truck as it was being transported 1,400 kilometers (870 miles) along the Great Northern Highway.

Western Australian state authorities were searching for the small radioactive capsule believed to have fallen from a truck. (Department of Fire and Emergency Services/AP)

The disappearance of the capsule prompted an extensive roadside search with specialized radiation detection units, and prompted warnings to the public not to approach the capsule, which could cause severe burns on contact with the skin.