Canadian miner Vizsla Silver said on Monday workers who were abducted from the company’s project site in Concordia, Mexico, have been found dead.
Last month, the Vancouver-based company had reported that 10 of its workers were abducted from its Panuco project in Mexico.
The miner said it is awaiting confirmation from the Mexican authorities and will provide further updates.
Shares of the company were down 7.1 per cent in morning trading.
Mexican authorities said on Friday that at least one body matching the characteristics of one of 10 mine workers who were kidnapped from a mine in northern Sinaloa state late last month was found in a clandestine grave.
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Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office said steps were being taken to confirm the victim’s identity and collect evidence from the grave in Concordia, where remains of several other bodies were found some 45 km (28 miles) east of the Pacific coast city of Mazatlan. Police were yet to formally identify any of the bodies.
Family members interviewed by Reuters said some of the workers at the Vizsla Silver Corp mine who went missing had received threats from organized crime groups in the area including the Chapitos, a faction of the Sinaloa cartel led by the sons of ex-Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman.
Security Minister Omar Garcia confirmed last month that the area where the miners went missing is under the control of the Chapitos. The silver mine has been closed since the kidnapping.
Authorities have yet to establish a reason as to why the group was kidnapped on January 23.
Jaime Lopez, the uncle of Pablo Osorio, a 26-year-old engineer and one of the men who went missing, said as the family was poor they would not be able to afford a ransom.
“We are devastated,” he said, adding he had not wanted his nephew to go to Concordia as it was dangerous, but it was the only place that had responded to his job applications when he finished his degree three years ago. “We are going to do everything in our power to find him.”
“We can’t believe it,” he said in tears after hearing of the mass grave. Lopez said he was awaiting news from the authorities to find out whether his nephew was among the remains found at the site.
Mexico’s government sent over 1,000 troops, including soldiers and elite marines, to the area this weekend to locate the missing miners. On Thursday, four suspects were arrested over the case.
This is how Canada operates allow their citizens to go to a foreign country to earn a living and then tax the heck out of them when they return and if they get killed they save on Social Security and social medical expenses. Remember this is the country who has quote unquote free healthcare but when you get sick they offer you medical suicide rather than medical intervention. The Canadian government is too focused on disarming legal law abiding gun owners and writing them all off as criminals.
Because these are two countries ran by week leadership. In Canada they do not protect their own people in Canada they don’t allow their own people to protect themselves. I am ashamed of Canada. In Mexico has proven they cannot protect their own people or maintain Law and Order within their own border.
This is because the Canadian government is weak and does not do anything to help or save their own people. Did nothing to maintain their security and safety. That coupled with a week Mexican government who can’t even maintain Law and Order within their own borders puts any foreign workers at risk. Time to close up the camp and never send another foreign worker to Mexico to assist.
Why mexico send 1000 troops one month after kidnapping why not send troops when the kidnapping happened.
Yes, my husband worked in Africa too in a diamond mining and the company employed security guards.
Did the mining company not have armed guards to protect the site like all all mining sites & oil rigs in high conflict areas have? My ex is a rig boss & in Africa & Middle East there’s always armed militia protection. If not, families should sue.
Please be aware that Mexico is a proper noun. The workers from Mexico require an adjective, which is mexican in the english language. This is a frequent web error. Somehow this always misses the editing software.
Oh no. We aren’t we hearing about this and where is our PM on this?
We’re sorry and will be praying 🙏 for all the people involved.
Oh no! Think of the shareholder value! Down 7%!!!