Five Missing Canadian Mine Workers Found Dead in Mexico’s Sinaloa State
Mexican authorities have confirmed that five of the 10 workers abducted from a Canadian-operated mining project in northwestern Mexico have been found dead, following the discovery of bodies in clandestine graves in Sinaloa state.
The Attorney General’s Office said on Monday that the five victims were identified among 10 bodies recovered last week in a nearby community. The remaining bodies are still awaiting formal identification.
Vancouver-based Vizsla Silver Corp., which operates the mine, said it had been informed by several families that their relatives — employees taken from the company’s project site in Concordia — were among the deceased. The company said it is still awaiting official confirmation from Mexican authorities.
“We are devastated by this outcome and the tragic loss of life,” said Vizsla President and CEO Michael Konnert. “Our focus remains on the safe recovery of those who remain missing and on supporting all affected families and our people during this incredibly difficult time.”
Neither the company nor authorities have confirmed a motive for the abductions and killings.
Family members have begun identifying victims through local officials. Jaime Castañeda said he identified the body of his brother, José Manuel Castañeda Hernández, 43, a father of two, after being shown photographs by authorities in Mazatlán. “This has been very painful,” he said. “There’s no justice in what’s happening.”
Mexican officials announced on Friday that bodies and human remains had been discovered in the search area for the missing workers. Four suspects believed to be connected to the abductions have since been arrested. President Claudia Sheinbaum said the suspects led authorities to the graves and that investigations are ongoing.
The abductions were reported by Vizsla on January 28, when 10 workers were taken from its facilities in Sinaloa, a region that has been gripped by violent clashes between rival factions of the Sinaloa cartel for more than a year. Blue-collar workers and industrial sites, including mines, have increasingly become targets for criminal groups seeking extortion and control of valuable resources.
Following the incident, the federal government deployed additional troops to the state and launched a large-scale security operation to locate the missing workers.
Sinaloa Governor Rubén Rocha said more clandestine graves were discovered last week and that search operations are continuing across the state, where more than 7,000 people are officially listed as missing, part of over 132,000 missing nationwide, according to federal data.
The killings add to growing concerns over cartel violence in Mexico, as authorities continue operations against organised crime networks amid heightened security pressures in cartel-controlled regions.
