(ANSA) - VIENNA, MARCH 16 - The International Atomic Energy Agency has reported that about 2.5 tons of natural uranium have disappeared from a site in Libya, according to a statement sent to AFP.
During a visit on Tuesday, IAEA inspectors "found that 10 containers with about 2.5 tons of natural uranium in the form of uranium concentrate (yellowcake) were no longer where the authorities claimed they were," wrote Director General Rafael Grossi in a report to the Member States.
The IAEA specifies that it will conduct "additional" checks to "clarify the circumstances of the disappearance of the nuclear material and its current location".
No details have been provided on the site in question.
Libya abandoned its nuclear weapons development program in 2003, during the regime of Muammar Gaddafi.
Since the fall of the former colonel in 2011, the country has plunged into a political and military crisis.
Two governments are currently contending for power, one in Tripoli recognized by the UN, the other based in Cyrenaica and supported by General Khalifa Haftar.
(HANDLE).