Nine of 10 abducted mine workers confirmed dead, B.C. firm says

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VANCOUVER - A Vancouver-based firm that operates a mine site in Mexico where 10 workers were abducted in January says nine of them have been found dead.

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VANCOUVER – A Vancouver-based firm that operates a mine site in Mexico where 10 workers were abducted in January says nine of them have been found dead.

Vizsla Silver Corp. said in a statement on its website Monday that it is in contact with the family of the one worker who remains missing.

CEO Michael Konnert said the outcome is “devastating.”

The flags of Mexico and Canada fly near the Ambassador Bridge, Monday, Feb. 3, 2025, in Detroit. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Paul Sancya
The flags of Mexico and Canada fly near the Ambassador Bridge, Monday, Feb. 3, 2025, in Detroit. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Paul Sancya

He said the firm’s officials mourn their colleagues and friends and “stand beside” the workers’ families.

The statement said the company continues to support authorities with their investigation.

Global Affairs Canada had previously said it wasn’t aware of any Canadians missing in the abduction at Vizsla’s Panuco project site, a gold and silver mining operation in the state of Sinaloa.

Mexican police announced in February the discovery of bodies in the area where the search for the missing workers was taking place.

The Mexican Attorney General’s Office had also reported the arrests of four people believed to be tied to the disappearances.

Konnert offered condolences to the victims’ families. 

“We will always carry this loss with us,” Konnert said in the company’s statement. “We will honour our colleagues through the work we do every day and our ongoing commitment to their families, our community in Sinaloa and the values that define us.”

The region is one of various parts of the state where a turf war has played out for more than a year between two rival factions of the Sinaloa cartel.

The statement said the company “will provide an operational update in due course.”

The company says on its website that the Panuco mine is located in an underexplored area of the western Mexico silver belt. 

It says the company completed a preliminary economic study for the mine in July 2024.

“Vizsla Silver aims to become the world’s leading silver company by implementing a dual track development approach at Panuco, advancing mine development, while continuing district scale exploration through low-cost means,” its overview statement says. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 6, 2026. 

— With files from The Associated Press

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