Ten silver miners from Canadian company found dead in Mexican mass grave, officials confirm
They were kidnapped from a mining project several weeks ago, in an area of Sinaloa where cartel violence is rampant
Ten silver miners working for a Canadian company have been found dead in a Mexican mass grave, local officials have confirmed.
The men were kidnapped on January 23 from a mining project in the western state of Sinaloa in an area around Concordia where cartel violence is rampant, and a faction of the Sinaloa cartel known as Los Chapitos holds control.
The local attorney general’s office announced the discovery of 10 bodies in a mass grave nearby, and confirmed that five of them had been identified so far, reported Reuters.
Vizsla Silver Corp., the Vancouver-headquartered mining company that operates the Panuco Project, said in a statement that it had been informed of the discovery by the men's families and was awaiting confirmation from Mexican authorities.
“We are devastated by this outcome and the tragic loss of life,” said Vizsla President and CEO Michael Konnert, who pledged to support those affected.
“Our deepest condolences are with our colleagues’ families, friends and co-workers, and the entire community of Concordia.”
The engineers, technicians and security guards were kidnapped from a residential complex adjacent to the mining operation, with the motive for the abduction not immediately clear.
Three of the men have been identified by local officials as Ignacio Aurelio Salazar Flores, 40, José Ángel Hernández Vélez, 37, and José Manuel Castañeda Hernández, 43.
Jaime Castañeda, a brother of geologist José Manuel Castañeda Hernández, told CBC News he had identified his brother on Sunday by viewing photographs of his body at the attorney general’s office in Mazatlán.
"In truth, this has been very painful to be here, in a place where we don't want to be," Castañeda told CBC, adding: "There's no justice with what's happening."
Dayanara Nataly Esparza, the wife of Ignacio Aurelio Salazar Flores, confirmed his death in a text message to CBC, saying it was “the toughest day” of her life and she was too distraught to speak.
Over the weekend, Mexican authorities sent more than 1,000 personnel into the region in a show of force against the cartels, which have wreaked violence and destruction on local communities.
At a Monday news conference, Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum said her government was in contact with the workers’ families and Vizsla Silver, and was “looking into everything that could have caused this situation,” reported Reuters.
David Mora, a senior analyst with the International Crisis Group, told CBC the slain miners may have been incidental victims in a wider campaign.
"Assuming, as the government says, that the group behind the kidnapping is Los Chapitos, I would say then that it's a show of strength, to send the message that they're not out of the picture in that part of Sinaloa," said Mora, who explained why cartels might specifically target workers connected to a foreign operation.
"These people have connections to a Canadian company and this area is very strategic because of the minerals and also the logging industry," he said. "It raises the political angle of this specific attack."
A joint statement from Mexican industry groups, including the country’s mining chamber Camimex, said the kidnapping was not an isolated incident and reflected deteriorating safety conditions in some regions.
“Every person who works in mining deserves conditions of safety and dignity to carry out their work,” read the statement, a translation of which was reported by industry news organization BNamericas.
Vizsla’s Panuco operation is described on its website as one of the world’s largest undeveloped silver resources, with plans for first production in 2027.
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