EFE - 5/18/2002

Mexican authorities tightened border security to prevent a load of sodium cyanide stolen from a truck from being smuggled out of the country.

The truck, which was stolen last Friday from a location in Hidalgo, in central Mexico, was found abandoned on a street in the municipality of Zacatlan, capital of the state of Puebla, some 150 kilometers (90 miles) from where it originally disappeared.

Only 13 of the 96 drums of the chemical have been located so far.

Sodium cyanide is used in gold and silver mining, causes suffocation if inhaled or ingested and when exposed to water or air turns into deadly hydrocyanic acid, which is lethal to humans in even small concentrations.

State and federal police, army troops, Civil Protection and Environmental Secretariat personnel have cordoned off the area to avoid damage to the truck or injury to the public.

Prior to locating the truck, Zacatlan authorities had been on alert because another truck transporting toxic chemicals had lost its brakes and turned over in a populous neighborhood near a high school.

Police told EFE that part of the truck's cargo spilled out and entered the public sewer system, poisoning three girls.

Officials said that the area had been evacuated and that the situation was under control.