Suitcase holding nuclear material sparks search after car collision in Val-des-Monts

Published Jun 29, 2023 • Last updated 9 hours ago • 1 minute read

A car crashed in front of a closed beauty salon in Val-des-Monts Thursday. Photo by MRC des Collines-de-Outaouais po /Supplied

Emergency services sounded an all-clear in Val-des-Monts after a two-car crash sent a suitcase containing suspected nuclear material crashing into a home on Thursday.

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The crash occurred at about 11 a.m. at the junction of highways 307 and 366 in the small Outaouais community.

One car bounced onto the lawn of a closed hairdressing salon.

Police from MRC des Collines-de-l’Outaouais said the driver of one of the vehicles was searching feverishly for a suitcase containing a nuclear “densometer.”

That’s a device used to measure soil density. It could be dangerous if damaged because it has radioactive content. According to Wikipedia, the tip of the measuring rod contains “a small radioactive source (Cesium–137) which emits gamma rays. Detectors in the base of the gauge measure this radiation and calculate the density of the material.”

Police were told the machine could prove dangerous “if misused or damaged.”

A security cordon was established and a number of agencies were called for assistance.

At about 2:10 p.m., “an official of the company that owns the device was able to confirm that there was no danger and that everything could be recovered.”

Roads were reopened at about 2 p.m.

A police investigation into the incident was continuing.

Val-des-Monts is a bit more than 30 kilometres north of Ottawa.