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Five abducted Canadian mining workers discovered dead in Mexico
Missing individuals worked at a gold and silver mine managed by Canadian company
Half of the 10 missing miners, engaged by a Canadian firm in Mexico, have been identified after bodies surfaced in hidden graves last week, officials reported.
On Monday (February 9), Mexico's Attorney General's Office announced in a translated press release shared on Facebook that remains were discovered on a property in El Verde, Concordia in Sinaloa, where five deceased individuals were identified.
This update followed the disappearance of 10 mining workers in the Mexican region, according to the translated release. Five other remains are being identified, based on the post.
The abduction took place on January 23, as reported by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC).
According to the Associated Press, citing Mexican authorities, the remains were located in hidden graves last week.
The report added that five out of the 10 bodies found were identified as the missing workers who were employed at a mine managed by the Canadian company Vizsla Silver Corp.
The missing individuals worked at a gold and silver mine, according to the agency.
The Vancouver-based company said in a news release on Monday that it had "been informed by a number of families that their relatives, our colleagues, who were taken from the Company’s project site in Concordia, Mexico, have been found deceased." They didn't confirm the number of victims that had been found dead.
"The Company is awaiting confirmation from the Mexican authorities and will provide further updates as appropriate," the release stated.
Michael Konnert, President & CEO of Vizsla, stated, “We are heartbroken by this outcome and the profound loss. Our deepest sympathies go out to our colleagues’ families, friends, co-workers, and the Concordia community," according to the news release.
Konnert added, "Our priority is on the safe rescue of those still missing and offering support to all affected families and our team during this challenging period.”
The company and local authorities have not disclosed any possible reasons. Mexico's Attorney General's Office has since announced the arrest of four individuals believed to be linked to the workers' abductions, according to the AP.
The abductions took place amid a turf battle in the area, which has been one of various hot spots in the state where a conflict has been ongoing for over a year between two rivals within the Sinaloa cartel, as reported.