- Vizsla Silver (TSX:VZLA) confirmed nine of its 10 workers abducted in January in Sinaloa, Mexico have been found dead; one remains missing
- The workers were kidnapped from a gated compound in Concordia, with authorities linking the crime to cartel infighting involving Los Chapitos
- The company says it is supporting the remaining family and cooperating with Mexican authorities as the investigation continues
- Vizsla Silver stock (TSX:VZLA) opened trading at C$4.55
Vancouver‑based mining company Vizsla Silver (TSX:VZLA) has confirmed that nine of the 10 workers abducted in Mexico’s Sinaloa state earlier this year have been found dead.
In a news release issued this week, the company said the bodies of nine colleagues have now been identified following the Jan. 23 abduction in the municipality of Concordia.
“Nine colleagues have now been found deceased,” Vizsla Silver’s President and CEO, Michael Konnert said in a news release. “The company remains in close contact with the family of one colleague who remains missing and continues to support the authorities in their ongoing investigation.”
The workers were kidnapped from a gated residential compound in Concordia, a rural area in northwestern Sinaloa, about 50 kilometres east of the resort city of Mazatlán.
In February, Mexican authorities discovered 10 bodies in the Concordia area. At the time, the Mexican attorney general’s office said five of the victims had been positively identified as the missing workers. Two additional workers were later confirmed dead, while three others were initially reported missing.
Vizsla Silver’s latest confirmation accounts for nine of the 10 workers taken during the January abduction, leaving one individual still unaccounted for.
Mexican authorities have linked the kidnappings to Los Chapitos, a powerful faction of the Sinaloa cartel led by the sons of incarcerated drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán. The group has been engaged in a violent struggle for control of the region with a rival faction known as La Mayiza, which is loyal to the son of Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, the cartel’s former co‑leader alongside Guzmán.
Sinaloa has seen a surge in cartel‑related violence since the splintering of the organization into competing factions, with kidnappings and targeted killings becoming increasingly common in rural communities.
Global Affairs Canada previously said it was not aware of any Canadians among those missing in the abduction.
Vizsla Silver has not released further details about the identities of the victims or the circumstances of their deaths, citing the ongoing investigation. Several law firms have been investigating the company as part of a potential class-action lawsuit against the company, claiming “The revelation of this violent disruption and the resulting operational paralysis led to an immediate loss of investor confidence and a rapid erosion of shareholder value.”
About Vizsla Silver
Vizsla Silver is a Canadian mining company focused on exploration and development in Mexico.
Vizsla Silver stock (TSX:VZLA) opened around 5 per cent lower on Tuesday at C$4.55 but has risen around 83 per cent since this time last year.
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