ECU Silver Mining Inc. (TSE:ECU)

[basserdan]

ECU Silver Reports Arrival of High Performance Deep Drill at Its Velardena Site

Wednesday March 23, 2011, 10:00 am

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - March 23, 2011) - ECU Silver Mining Inc. (TSX:ECU; OTC:ECUXF - News) is pleased to announce that the high-performance deep hole diamond drill has arrived on site at its 100% owned Velardena Property and is being lowered in the mine today to be installed in the drilling station on level 18.

The high-performance drill will be used to further test the deep seated massive sulphides at a depth of approximately 800 meters below level 18 to confirm the extensions of the intercepts that were reported in drill hole SJ-08-21 on July 9, 2008.

Drill hole SJ-08-21 intersected two massive sulphide veins (the M-S veins). The first intercept yielded 3.66 grams per tonne (g/t) gold (Au), 295 g/t silver (Ag), 7.87 per cent lead (Pb) and 12.07 per cent zinc (Zn) (945 g/t Ag equivalent) over a core length of 12.04 metres (40 feet). The second intercept yielded 7.90 g/t Au, 550 g/t Ag, 11.25 per cent Pb and 27.68 per cent Zn (1,845 g/t Ag equivalent) over a core length of 1.75 metres (six feet). Silver and gold equivalents are calculated based on current commodity prices.

The high-performance deep hole drill will employ directional drilling by using a combination of down-hole mud-motors and controlled drilling. The drill has a capacity to reach vertical depths of up to 2,000 meters. The exploration program to test the massive sulphides at depth will consist of a series of deep holes ("parent holes") from which a further series of daughter holes will fan out from the parent hole to intercept targets at a certain distance from the parent hole.

The high-performance drill is being mobilized to the underground drill station located on level 18 of the Santa Juana mine and we expect drilling operations to commence shortly.

The benefits to be obtained from the use of the high-performance diamond drill are, among other things, the ability to:

 --  Intersect deep target areas with accuracy;      
  
 --  Branch a number of daughter holes off a main parent borehole to test 
     multiple targets to verify the continuity of the zones;      
  
 --  Achieve significant cost savings by virtue of reduced quantity of 
     drilling to get the same number of intercepts.

Michel Roy, Chairman and CEO stated, "This latest exploration campaign will finally allow the Company to verify the theories about the nature of the deep massive sulfides intercepts and their relative importance."

About ECU Silver

ECU Silver Mining Inc. is focused on the exploration, development and mining of gold, silver and base metals at its Velardena District Properties in Durango, Mexico. The Company holds a N.I. 43-101 compliant mineral resource of 40 million silver equivalent ounces in the measured and indicated category and 391 million silver equivalent ounces in the inferred category. The Company also owns two mills with a combined capacity of 820 tonnes per day. ECU's mission is to become a pre-eminent silver and gold producer through the development of its existing and potential mineral resources at Velardena.
Website: http://http://www.ecu.ca/

Contact:

Michel Roy
ECU Silver Mining Inc.
Chairman and CEO
Torreon, Mexico
011 52 871 747 5750

Stephen Altmann
ECU Silver Mining Inc.
President
Toronto, Canada
[phone]

Mark Butler
ECU Silver Mining Inc.
Investor Relations
Toronto, Canada
[phone]

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