Aurizon Mines Ltd.: Initial Underground Definition Drilling Confirms Continuity and Grade of Zone 113 at Casa Berardi.

Business Editors

VANCOUVER, British Columbia--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 27, 2004

Aurizon Mines Ltd. is pleased to report that results from the first twenty-two definition holes have confirmed the continuity of Zone 113 at its Casa Berardi Project, Quebec. The most significant results returned 13.8 grams of gold per tonne over 39.0 metres and 13.8 grams of gold per tonne over 16.3 metres. All drilling was conducted from the newly developed 550 metre level exploration drift. The current definition drill program confirms the grades and widths indicated by previous surface exploration holes.

"These initial results from the underground drilling program have returned higher grades than expected and correlate well with previous surface holes. We have significantly increased our confidence level on the grade and continuity of Zone 113 in the area covered by the drilling. The results move us closer to our primary goal of completing an updated feasibility study later this year." said David P. Hall, President and Chief Executive Officer.

The Definition Drill Program

In December of 2002, Aurizon announced an underground exploration program at Casa Berardi to access Zone 113 in order to increase the level of confidence of the grade and continuity of the mineralization. The plan called for the extension of the main ramp from the West Mine to the 550 metre level, the development of a 450 metre exploration drift, the detailed drilling of Zone 113, and the development of the mineralized zone to test the continuity of the mineralization and to provide a bulk sample.

To date, Aurizon has completed the ramp extension from the 450 metre level to 550 metre level, developed 192 metres of the planned 450 metres of exploration drift, and completed a crosscut of 145 metres through Zone 113 and the Casa Berardi fault. Development of the exploration drift is still in progress. An underground drilling program, using two rigs, was initiated in November, 2003. Initial hole spacing will be 25 metres (lateral) by 50 metres (vertical). Final hole spacing is planned at 25 metres by 25 metres.

To date, forty (40) holes have been completed along four different vertical sections and horizontal fan drilling at the 550 metre level. All holes drilled to test Zone 113 have intersected a 40 to 70 metre wide mineralized corridor adjacent to the Casa Berardi fault. All holes have been drilled through the Casa Berardi Fault. Assays have been received for twenty-two (22) holes to date and are reported below:

---------------------  ---------------------  ---------------------
        Gold   Length          Gold   Length          Gold   Length
       grams/ (metres         grams/ (metres         grams/ (metres
       tonne    along         tonne    along         tonne    along
Hole (assays      the  Hole (assays      the  Hole (assays      the
ID     uncut)    hole)   ID   uncut)    hole)   ID   uncut)    hole)
---------------------  ---------------------  ---------------------
U168     6.2     10.5  U300     4.6      9.0  U401     9.5      6.5
U172     2.1     12.4  U301    15.4      6.0   and     7.6      7.4
U173    13.8     39.0  U302     2.2      7.6  U402     6.2     11.6
U175     8.8      9.7  U303     3.2     23.1  U403    32.6      8.5
U176     8.3      9.0  U304     7.3     44.7
U177    14.4      7.5  U307     7.4      8.6
U178     5.9     32.8  U309     6.7      8.2
                        and     8.3     14.3
                       U312    13.8     16.3
                       U313     7.1     18.9
Holes U305, 308, 311 had low values

Comparison of surface to underground drill holes

To date, underground drill holes have compared favourably with surface holes drilled during the 1998/1999 campaign. In the drilled area, five holes intersected the mineralized zone within 15 metres of previously reported surface exploration holes.

Gold mineralization is found within large quartz veins and associated hanging wall stockwork. The gold mineralization is not restricted to the quartz veins. Quartz veins are oblique to the Casa Berardi fault, which is 0.15 to 2.0 metres wide, as expected.

------------------------------------------------------------------
     Previous surface                         2004 underground
    exploration holes                         exploration holes
------------------------------------------------------------------
          Gold   Length                              Gold   Length
         grams/ (metres                             grams/ (metres
         tonne    along                             tonne    along
Hole   (assays      the                     Hole  (assays      the
ID       uncut)    hole)                      ID    uncut)    hole)
------------------------------------------------------------------
S17B       5.0     19.4    compared with    U304      7.3     44.7
------------------------------------------------------------------
S17A       5.5      4.7    compared with    U305      Low
                                                   values
------------------------------------------------------------------
S8 S18     4.3     24.5    compared with    U178      5.9     32.8
           3.2     21.5
------------------------------------------------------------------
S6 S6A     6.5     37.6    compared with    U173     13.8     39.0
           5.0     50.8
------------------------------------------------------------------
S3         5.8     12.1    compared with    U309      6.7      8.2
                                             and      8.3     14.3
------------------------------------------------------------------

Access to Zone 113 on the 550 level

A crosscut from the exploration drift to Zone 113 has been excavated on the 550 metre level, ten (10) metres east of and parallel to the hole U168. The crosscut spans the entire mineralized corridor and ends 10 metres north of the Casa Berardi fault. A lithological section along the crosscut intersected twenty (20) metres of disseminated sulphide and vein stockwork followed by a thirty (30) metre wide quartz vein. The first ten (10) metres of the quartz vein contained high grade material. The mineralized zone ends at the Casa Berardi fault which, at this location, is only fifteen to twenty centimetres wide. The mineralized zone excavated during the development is similar to the zone interpreted from surface and underground drilling. Comparative grade estimates of the drift are calculated by length-weight averaging of chip samples taken along both the west and east walls of the drift and by muck samples taken once for every fifteen (15) tonnes of material removed from the drift. Grade estimate comparisons are found in the table below:

--------------------------------------------------------------------
                              Hole U168   Chip samples  Muck samples
                   Length          Gold           Gold          Gold
Mineralized Zone   metres   grams/tonne    grams/tonne   grams/tonne
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Disseminated
 sulphide and vein
 stockwork             20           1.2            1.4           1.0
High grade quartz      10           6.2           11.5          10.1
Low grade quartz       20           1.3            2.2           3.3

Quality Control

Drill core assays are performed on split or core sawed in half, with standard fire assay procedures and gravimetric finition. Certified reference material is inserted in the sample sequence for quality control. Assay checking on the pulp and reject samples will be carried out in the coming weeks. Primary assaying is performed by SGS Geochemical Laboratories of Rouyn-Noranda.

Drill hole planning, implementation and the quality control program is supervised by Robert Crepeau, P.Geol., Principal Mine Geologist, who is an appropriately qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101.

Additional Information

A sketch indicating the area covered by the current underground definition drilling program described herein is attached to this news release. If you are unable to view this information, please download this news release from Aurizon's website at http://www.aurizon.com or contact the Company at the numbers listed below. All other information previously released on the Casa Berardi project is also available on the Aurizon website.

Aurizon is a Canadian-based gold mining company with operations and exploration activities in the Abitibi region of north-western Quebec, one of the world's most prolific gold and base metal regions. Aurizon owns fifty percent (50%) of the Sleeping Giant Mine and one hundred percent (100%) of the Casa Berardi property, both of which are located in the Abitibi region. Aurizon shares trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol "ARZ" and on the American Stock Exchange under the symbol "AZK".

This News Release contains "forward-looking statements", including, but not limited to, statements regarding the Company's expectations as to the market price of gold, strategic plans, future commercial production, production targets and timetables, mine operating costs, capital expenditures, work programs, exploration budgets and mineral reserve and resource estimates. Forward-looking statements express, as at the date of this report, the Company's plans, estimates, forecasts, projections, expectations, or beliefs as to future events or results. Forward-looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties, and there can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate. Therefore, actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Factors that could cause results or events to differ materially from current expectations expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, include, but are not limited to, factors associated with fluctuations in the market price of precious metals, mining industry risks and hazards, environmental risks and hazards, uncertainty as to calculation of mineral reserves and resources, requirement of additional financing, risks of delays in construction and other risks more fully described in Aurizon's Annual Report on Form 20-F filed as an alternative form of AIF with the Securities Commissions of the provinces of British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec, with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, and with the Toronto Stock Exchange.

To view attached map please click on the following link: http://www2.cdn-news.com/database/fax/2000/0227arz.pdf

U.S. Registration: (File #0-22672) Form 20-F