The FBI said four US citizens were abducted after gunmen opened fire on their vehicle in the northern Mexican Border Town of Matamoros. The four Americans arrived in Matamoros, across from Brownsville, Texas, on Friday and traveled in a white minivan with North Carolina license plates. U.S. officials also confirmed on Monday that a Mexican national had died in the incident.

Matamoros is home to warring factions of the Gulf drug cartel, and the US consulate issued a warning of shootings on Friday that were so severe that local authorities warned people to take cover on the spot. The alert reminded US citizens that this part of Mexico is “Tier 4: Do Not Travel,” the highest level alert in the US State Department’s travel advisory system.

The FBI’s San Antonio office said in a statement Sunday that the vehicle came under fire shortly after it entered Mexico: “All four Americans were placed in the vehicle and taken away from the scene by gunmen. The FBI is offering a $50,000 reward for the return of the victims and the arrest of those responsible.” Post on Twitter seems to show the moment of their abduction, when one woman, walking on her own, is herded into a white pickup truck. Then, people armed with guns and wearing bulletproof vests are seen dragging one person after another into a car. A video posted online shows that some of them may be injured, but the condition of the four remains unknown.

On Monday, U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar said in a statement that Americans were kidnapped at gunpoint and that an “innocent” Mexican citizen died in the attack. He said various US justice agencies are working with their Mexican counterparts to find missing US citizens, but did not provide any details. Mexican President Andres Manuel López Obrador said on Monday that Americans crossed the border to buy medicine and were caught in the crossfire of two armed groups.

Editorial credit: Roberto Galan / Shutterstock.com

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