Dangerous radioactive medical material taken when a truck was stolen in Mexico has been found, local officials say, according to BBC News.

The material - cobalt-60 - was removed from a protective casing and then abandoned nearby.

The thieves may have been exposed to life-threatening radiation levels, but there is no health risk for local residents, the officials say. The material and the truck were found close to where they had been stolen near Mexico City on Monday, December 2.

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, the authorities believe that this was an opportunistic theft which went badly wrong.

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.