Missing 'Nerve Agent' Caused Base Lockdown at Utah Army Base
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Officials say a missing vial of nerve agent is responsible for a lockdown overnight at a Utah military base that carries out tests to protect troops against biological attacks, Fox13now.com reports.
The Army says Dugway Proving Ground, where military weapons are tested, was locked down for hours over a missing vial of VX "nerve agent." The amount missing was less than one fourth of a teaspoon and it was recovered at around 3 a.m., according to the station.
VX nerve agent affects the body's ability to carry messages through the nerves.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Army says no one was in danger and the lockdown was ordered as a precaution. Between 1,200 and 1,400 people were inside the facility at the time.
Dugway is about 85 miles southwest of Salt Lake City.
A news release from the base on Thursday said, "during a routine inventory of sensitive material in the chemical laboratory, Dugway officials discovered a discrepancy between the records and the agent on-hand. As a precaution, the commander immediately locked down the installation and began efforts to identify the cause of the discrepancy."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}No employees on the base were injured, a spokeswoman for Dugway told the station.
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The Associated Press contributed to this repor