Summary
Mexican authorities said Monday that five of 10 workers missing from a mine operated by Canadian firm Vizsla Silver Corp. in the northwestern state of Sinaloa have been identified among 10 bodies found in clandestine graves in a nearby community, as authorities continued to identify the remaining bodies.
The Attorney General’s Office said in a statement that the five identified workers were among the 10 bodies discovered last week, while it said the other bodies were still awaiting identification.
Vancouver-based Vizsla Silver Corp. said earlier Monday that it had been informed by “a number of families” that its colleagues—relatives of workers who had been taken from the company’s project site in Concordia, Mexico—were found deceased. The company said it was still awaiting confirmation from Mexican authorities, and neither it nor authorities had commented on what a possible motive could be.
Vizsla President and CEO Michael Konnert said, “We are devastated by this outcome and the tragic loss of life,” adding that the company’s focus remained on the safe recovery of those still missing and on supporting affected families and employees during the “incredibly difficult time.”
The developments followed Friday’s announcement by Mexican authorities of the discovery of bodies and remains in an area involved in the ongoing search for 10 missing workers from the Canadian gold and silver mine.
Mexican authorities also reported the arrests of four people they said were believed to be tied to the workers’ disappearances. President Claudia Sheinbaum said Monday that the suspects had led authorities to the bodies, adding, “Everything is under investigation.”
The incident took place in mountainous terrain in Sinaloa, where AP reported that a turf war between two rival factions of the Sinaloa cartel has played out for more than a year in several areas of the state.
On Jan. 28, Vizsla reported the abduction of 10 people from its facilities and said it had alerted authorities and activated its crisis management and security response teams as a federal operation increased the number of troops deployed to the state to locate the missing workers.
Mines have previously been targeted by organized crime in Mexico, with cartels using the sites as opportunities to extort or even sell valuable ore themselves. On Monday, Sinaloa Gov. Ruben Rocha said clandestine graves were located last week but that the search continued.
Rocha also referred to an earlier abduction of a group of Mexican tourists from Mazatlan, saying that a woman and a child connected to the group were found alive, while four people remained missing. In Sinaloa, Rocha said there are more than 7,000 missing people, according to federal data.