NEW DELHI, Aug 17: Large quantities of highly radioactive material have been stolen from a steel plant in the eastern Indian state of Jharkhand, a news report said on Sunday.

The Hindustan Times newspaper reported that three containers with the radioactive element Cobalt-60 each weighing 41 kilograms were stolen Friday from the Tata Steel factory in Jamshedpur town.

Tata Steel had kept the radioactive material for testing the quality of metal used in the plant.

The material was stored in leakproof steel and zinc cylinders. But since they were taken out of the containers, they could cause widespread radioactive damage, the Hindustan Times said.—dpa