The Kansas Highway Patrol said Wednesday that the department was searching for a missing explosive device that was apparently lost while being transported across the state.

The device, a piece of oil field equipment that contains a small amount of explosives, was on a vehicle operated by Eli Wireline Services of Hays and was packed into a metal canister, the patrol said.

When the vehicle arrived in Moline, the cap for the container was gone and the device was missing.

Law enforcement officials searched the 146-mile route from Hutchinson to Moline using vehicles and aircraft, but couldn’t locate the explosive equipment, the patrol said. The incident remains under investigation.

Although accidental ignition is highly unlikely, the patrol said the item should be considered extremely dangerous and, if found, should not be tampered with.

Anyone with information about this equipment is asked to call the local law enforcement agency.