Mexico City, Mexico - The bodies of three miners working for a Canadian company were discovered in Mexico over the weekend after they were thought to have been kidnapped by a drug cartel.

The three men were abducted by the Sinaloa cartel on January 23, along with nine other employees. They were working for Vancouver-based mining company Vizsla Silver Corp in the mountainous area around Concordia.

In an interview with CBC News, Jaime Castañeda said that he had identified the body of his 43-year-old geologist brother on Sunday, José Manuel Castañeda Hernández.

"In truth, this has been very painful to be here, in a place where we don't want to be," Castañeda Hernández said. "It's so hard to see… how they suffer. There's no justice with what's happening."

The deceased hailed from the state of Guerrero, and had a wife and two children.

His body was one of three that were found in a mass grave last week by local authorities in a small village north of Concordia.

They are the latest casualties of a devastating and violent 18-month long war between factions of the Sinaloa cartel. It is suspected that a cell linked to the Los Chapitos faction is responsible for the abductions in January.

"We are devastated by this outcome and the tragic loss of life," said Vizsla Silver in an emailed statement. "As we grieve, our focus remains on the safe recovery of those who remain missing."

In February, a number of ex-workers alleged that there had been coordination between the company's regional management and the Sinaloa cartel prior to the abductions. Vizsla Silver denies these claims.