Families have confirmed the identities of at least five of the ten miners disappeared on January 23 in Concordia, Sinaloa, employees of Vizsla Silver. The bodies were found in a clandestine grave in El Verde, as authorities investigate and mining associations demand justice and the safe location of the remaining ones.
On January 23, ten miners from the Canadian company Vizsla Silver were kidnapped by armed individuals at their camp in Concordia, Sinaloa, a municipality 85 kilometers from Mazatlán and 285 from Culiacán. The workers were taken away in vehicles to an unknown destination, according to initial reports.
Over the weekend of February 8 and 9, experts from the General Prosecutor's Office (FGR) and the Forensic Medical Service recovered ten bodies from a clandestine grave between the communities of El Verde and Zamora, in the Sierra de Concordia. Families identified at least three on Sunday: engineer José Ángel Hernández Vélez, 37, from Zacatecas, who had worked at Vizsla Silver for 11 years and previously seven at Capstone Copper; José Manuel Castañeda Hernández, 43, from Guerrero, recognized by an iguana tattoo on his arms; and Ignacio Aurelio Salazar.
On Monday, February 9, two more identifications were confirmed: Jesús Antonio de la O Valdez, an engineer whose death was mourned by the College of Ecologists Engineers of Chihuahua, and José Antonio Jiménez Nevárez, 34, from Sonora, operational security coordinator at the mining company.
The FGR has not officially confirmed the identities to the company. Michael Konnert, president of Vizsla Silver, stated from Vancouver: “We are devastated by this outcome and the tragic loss of lives. Our deepest condolences to the families, friends, and coworkers of our colleagues, and to the entire Concordia community.” The company prioritizes the safe recovery of the remaining seven missing.
The Mexican Mining Chamber (Camimex) and the Association of Mining Engineers, Metallurgists and Geologists of Mexico (AIMMGM) condemned the violence, demanding effective justice and worker safety. “We reaffirm the right of their families and the mining community to obtain a resolution that translates into effective justice,” stated Camimex. AIMMGM rejected “any form of violence that violates the fundamental rights of mining sector workers.” Both urged intensified efforts to locate the remaining alive and clarify the facts.
