Mexico City, Mar 9 (EFE).– Mexican authorities say they have located a container of industrial radioactive material that was stolen in late February.

The vehicle used to transport the container of Iridium-192 – stolen on Feb. 27 in San Juan del Rio, a city in Queretaro state – was found in the neighboring state of Mexico, Luis Felipe Puente, who heads up the Government Secretariat’s national emergency management office, said Tuesday on Twitter.

Puente uploaded a photo of the container, saying his office had secured it after verifying and confirming its serial number.

His office later issued a statement indicating the material had been found in Acambay, a municipality in Mexico state, adding that it was still “in its protective shielding and thus posed no risk to the population.”

The Federal Police established a security perimeter around the container, while officials with the National Commission on Nuclear Safety and Safeguards will be responsible for transferring the material.

After the radioactive device was found, authorities canceled an alert issued on Feb. 28 for the states of Queretaro, San Luis Potosi, Hidalgo, Mexico, Guanajuato and Michoacan.

That alert warned that the material, if removed from its protective shielding, could cause permanent injuries to anyone who handled or was in contact with it.

In April 2015, thieves stole a vehicle transporting a container of Iridium-192, but authorities found it unopened nine days later under a bridge. EFE