Mine event in India on Mon 22nd May 2006

An industrial gamma radiography exposure device (IGRED), weighing about 17 kg, containing about 0.5 TBq activity of Ir-192 source was lost on May 22, 2006 during transport by three wheeler taxi in Thane (Near Mumbai). The IGRED along with radiography accessories was carried by a trainee radiographer and his assistant in the taxi for carrying out radiography work in a place about 5 km away from the facility where the source was stored.
En-route, they shifted to another taxi but inadvertently forgot to shift the radiography device from the first taxi to the second taxi. The source could not be recovered in spite of extensive search operations carried out using high sensitivity radiation survey instruments. No radiation injury has been reported. It is presumed that the source continues to be inside the gamma radiography exposure device. The device has adequate shielding with proper locking mechanisms in place to prevent inadvertent removal of the radioactive source and therefore the incident may not cause any significant radiological hazard to the members of the public.The incident is rated at level-2 on INES.