The vehicle was transporting radiotherapy equipment containing the radioactive isotope cobalt-60 from a hospital to a waste storage center, the International Atomic Energy Agency said.

Experts said that if the material gets into the wrong hands it could be turned into a “dirty bomb” and potentially spread cancer-causing radiation across a wide area.

“At the time the truck was stolen, the source was properly shielded,” the IAEA said in a statement. “However, the source could be extremely dangerous to a person if removed from the shielding, or if it was damaged.”