Canadian mining company confirms mass kidnapping of employees in Concordia, Sinaloa

A Canadian mining institution confirmed that 10 employees were kidnapped from 1 of its task sites successful the bluish authorities of Sinaloa past week and announced that it had suspended enactment connected its flagship Panuco silver-gold task located nearby. 

The incidental is nether investigation, but accusation remains limited, according to a connection released by Vizsla Silver mining institution precocious Wednesday.

The abducted miners worked with Vizsla-Silver’s highly touted Panuca gold-silver project, and were taken from their lodging successful adjacent Concordia. (Vizsla-Silver)

“Local authorities person been notified, and the Company’s situation absorption and information effect teams are actively engaged. The Company’s contiguous precedence is the information and wellbeing of the individuals involved,” the connection said.

The Sinaloa authorities Attorney General’s Office besides issued a connection saying it has opened an probe into the kidnappings aft receiving a study “of the disappearance of 10 individuals connected January 24 successful a 911 telephone from a institution representative.”

Relatives of the missing person denounced a deficiency of connection from the company, arsenic good arsenic an lack of organization support.

El Universal paper reported that the household of 1 of the missing recounted successful a societal media station that the events occurred astir 6:00 a.m. connected January 23.

According to this post, “armed individuals entered the La Clementina lodging improvement successful Concordia, wherever the institution housed the workers due to the fact that it was considered a harmless area, and took them distant without immoderate accusation astir their whereabouts to this day.”

Among the missing are engineers, a geologist, information guards and administrative staff. Seven of the missing are reportedly from Hermosillo, Sonora, and 1 is from the authorities of Chihuahua.

State authorities person launched hunt operations successful conjunction with national authorities, including the military. State authorities besides executed a hunt warrant connected Tuesday arsenic portion of the investigation, though nary further details were shared.

The Association of Mining, Metallurgical and Geological Engineers of Mexico (AIMMGM) issued a connection expressing “deep interest implicit the amerciable detention of astatine slightest 10 professionals from the mining industry,” urging the authorities to “guarantee their harmless return.”

The Concordia tract is located adjacent Vizsla Silver’s Panuco venture, a predominantly silver-gold excavation with zinc and pb resources that is considered to beryllium an emerging high-grade find project.

Located adjacent the metropolis of Mazatlán, Panuco hosts the world’s largest undeveloped, high‑grade metallic resource. It is believed to clasp 12.8 cardinal proven and probable tonnes grading 2.01 grams of golden per tonne and 249 grams of metallic per tonne.

Vizsla Silver, which had been expanding its onshore presumption successful occidental Mexico on the highly prospective Sinaloa Silver Belt, projected a excavation beingness of 9.4 years for Panuco and planned to statesman accumulation determination successful the 2nd fractional of 2027.

The Toronto-based play commercialized diary The Northern Miner said Vizsla Silver shares — which had tripled implicit the past year — plunged 15% connected Thursday greeting successful Toronto, slashing the company’s marketplace worth to astir US $2 billion. 

With reports from El Universal, CBC, The Northern Miner and NS Energy