The radioactive device that had gone missing. — KUNA

KUWAIT: A radioactive device that went missing from Burgan oilfield in southern Kuwait was found on Friday and was fully sealed, the interior ministry confirmed. It said an expatriate who works in Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) called the ministry to report he found the device near his worksite in Burgan oilfield. He said he did not try to open the device or tamper with it, and that he contacted the ministry after reading the ministry's statement over the missing device.

The ministry, which recovered the device from the expatriate from his house, said the area was scanned and no traces of radioactive materials were found. Media reports yesterday said the man, an Egyptian who lives in Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh, was sent for questioning.

The Emergency Radioactive and Nuclear Security Committee had said earlier Friday that the missing radioactive device is small and is completely sealed inside a container. The committee said in a statement it received a call that a KOC contractor discovered a radioactive device was missing while moving radioactive materials to the company's warehouse. This device, it said, was used in industrial photography at Burgan oilfield. Teams from the committee, civil defense, health ministry, fire department, national guard and army started searching for the container in Zone 10GC. - KUNA