Canadian mining firm says bodies of abducted workers found

A Vancouver-based mining firm says it has received reports that workers abducted from one of its project sites in Mexico have been found dead.

Federal authorities in Mexico say five of the 10 workers abducted from a Canadian-owned mine site in the northwestern state of Sinaloa have been identified among 10 bodies that were discovered last week.

The Mexican attorney general’s office says the other five bodies, found on a property in the town of El Verde, are still being identified.

Vancouver-based mining company Vizsla Silver confirmed on Monday that some of the workers who were abducted from the company’s project site near the city of Concordia had been found dead.

“Vizsla Silver Corp. today reports that it has been informed by a number of families that their relatives, our colleagues, who were taken from the company’s project site in Concordia, Mexico, have been found deceased,” the company said in a statement.

The mining firm said it was “awaiting confirmation from the Mexican authorities and will provide further updates as appropriate.”

The attorney general’s office on Friday announced that human remains had been found in the area of the ongoing search but did not provide more details.

The office also said four people had been arrested for suspected involvement in the workers’ disappearance.

‘We are devastated’

The Sinaloa state prosecutor’s office said last month that a Vizsla representative called 911 to report the abduction on Jan. 24. Local news outlets reported the employees were taken from staff accommodations in Concordia by a group of armed men.

Days later, Sinaloa Gov. Ruben Rocha Moya announced the commitment of more than 1,000 military members to the search, including 270 special forces personnel, 800 soldiers and 100 national guard members, along with three armed helicopters and two airplanes.

“We are devastated by this outcome and the tragic loss of life,” Vizsla president and CEO Michael Konnert said Monday.

“Our deepest condolences are with our colleagues’ families, friends and co-workers, and the entire community of Concordia.”

Konnert said the company remains focused “on the safe recovery of those who remain missing and on supporting all affected families and our people during this incredibly difficult time.”

Global Affairs Canada, in a Jan. 29 statement to CTV News, said it was “not aware of any Canadian citizens” among the abductees, but said it was aware of the incident and was “monitoring it closely.”

The attorney general’s office says it has maintained contact with the victims’ families throughout the search, and the remains of those already identified will be transferred to the states of Chihuahua, Sonora, Guerrero and Zacatecas.

Vizsla Silver has been developing a silver and gold project called Panuco in the region.

In a promotional video published in September 2023, the mineral exploration company said it had more than 200 employees at the 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.”

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.

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