Two out of four Americans who went missing after being violently kidnapped in the Mexican northern border state of Tamaulipas have been found dead.

The other two US citizens are alive, the state’s governor said on Tuesday.

One of the survivors is injured but the other was unharmed.

The FBI said on Sunday it was searching with Mexican authorities for the missing Americans, who were abducted on Friday.

They had travelled as a group from South Carolina so one of them could get a tummy tuck from a Matamoros doctor, a relative said on Monday.

Shortly after reaching Mexico, they were caught in the crossfire between two groups of rival drug cartels.

A video showed the group being loaded into the back of a pickup truck by gunmen.

Officials said a Mexican woman was killed in the crossfire.

Matamoros is located just south of Brownsville, Texas.

The kidnapping illustrates the ongoing terror in the city, which is dominated by factions of the powerful Gulf drug cartel, who often fight among themselves.

Thousands of Mexicans have gone missing in Tamaulipas state alone amid the violence.

Read more on Sky News:
Annual cap on migrants entering through safe routes unveiled
Olivia Pratt-Korbel screamed ‘Mum, I’m scared’ seconds before she was shot

Be the first to get Breaking News

Install the Sky News app for free

On Monday, Mexico’s president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador told reporters: “These are people from the United States, and the information we have is that they crossed the border to buy medicine in Mexico and there was a confrontation between groups and they were detained.

“It’s already being taken care of. I believe it is going to be resolved. I expect so, I hope so,” he went on.

The White House said US President Joe Biden was aware of the “unacceptable” kidnappings, adding it was “ready to provide all appropriate consular assistance, and US law enforcement is in touch with Mexican law enforcement”.

Related posts:

Muslims urged to remain cautious during Eid as global celebrations muted by pandemic New Zealand PM takes COVID-19 test after picking up ‘seasonal sniffle’ from daughter At least 58 people dead in the US as the remnants of Storm Ida bring flooding and tornadoes Omicron: South Africa doctors see ‘skyrocketing’ cases but symptoms ‘mild’ At least 50 people infected with Omicron variant at Christmas party in Norway Canadian ‘influencer’ party flight passengers face inquiry after returning from Cancun Macron and Le Pen to face each other in final round of French presidential election Residents tell of dramatic escape from Hurricane Ian Dramatic before and after images show scale of Hurricane Ian’s destruction French Football Federation chief suspended following comments about Zinedine Zidane State of disaster declared in South Africa as country grapples with electricity crisis Zelenskyy to discuss Russia’s involvement in Paris Olympics as Ukraine threatens to boycott