B.C. mining firm says 10 people abducted in Mexico

A Vancouver-based mining company says 10 people have been abducted from one of its project sites in Mexico.

A Vancouver-based mining firm says 10 people have been abducted from one of its project sites in the western Mexican state of Sinaloa, a region in the throes of violence among rival drug cartels.

Vizsla Silver said in a statement Thursday that “10 individuals have been taken” from the site near the city of Concordia.

“The incident is currently under investigation, and information remains limited,” the statement said. “Local authorities have been notified, and the company’s crisis management and security response teams are actively engaged.”

The mineral exploration company, which has been developing a silver and gold project called Panuco, says some activities at and around the site have been temporarily suspended “as a precautionary measure.”

A spokesperson for Vizsla declined to say whether any of the abducted workers are Canadian.

“At this time, we have no additional comment beyond the information disclosed in the news release,” the spokesperson said in an emailed statement Thursday. “Focusing on the safety and safe release of our people is the absolute priority.”

In a statement provided to CTV News, a Global Affairs Canada spokesperson said it is aware of the incident and is “monitoring it closely.”

“At this time, we are not aware of any Canadian citizens impacted by this incident,” the spokesperson said, adding that the Canadian Embassy in Mexico is “in touch with” Mexican officials.

The Sinaloa attorney general’s office says a 911 call from a legal representative of the company reported the abduction of 10 people on Jan. 24.

A statement Thursday says the agency is working with the military and local authorities to search for the abductees. A search warrant was executed on Tuesday as part of the investigation, the statement said.

The Association of Mining Engineers, Metallurgists and Geologists of Mexico called for swift intervention by authorities to ensure the workers’ safe return.

“We express our deep concern over the illegal deprivation of liberty, by unknown individuals, of 10 professionals from the mining industry,” said the statement, translated from its original Spanish.

The group said the abducted individuals “have performed their work honestly in the municipality of Concordia, Sinaloa.”

Local news outlets reported that the employees were taken from staff accommodations in Concordia by armed men on Jan. 23.

In a promotional video published in September 2023, Vizsla Silver said it had more than 200 employees at its Panuco mine project site, with 70 per cent of those workers coming from local communities.

Mike Pettingell, the company’s senior vice-president of business development, describes Vizsla in the video as “a very well-capitalized, aggressive explorer—arguably the most aggressive junior explorer in the entire silver industry.”

The company’s share price fell sharply on both the Toronto and New York stock exchanges Thursday morning.

Global Affairs Canada urges travellers to exercise extreme caution and avoid non-essential travel in parts of Sinaloa, citing violent clashes between armed groups battling for control of the drug trade.