<p style="text-align: justify; "><span style="font-size: 1rem;">Two US citizens kidnapped by suspected Mexican drug traffickers were found dead Tuesday while two others survived, in what officials said appeared to be a tragic case of mistaken identity.</span><br></p><p style="text-align: justify; ">Washington vowed to do everything in its power to ensure justice for the victims, who crossed the border into the crime-plagued city of Matamoros in Tamaulipas state on Friday for medical reasons.</p><p style="text-align: justify; ">Initial indications were that the abduction was the result of a "mix-up" rather than a targeted attack, Tamaulipas Attorney General Irving Barrios told reporters.</p><p style="text-align: justify; ">The two survivors were returned to the United States via a land border crossing between Matamoros and Brownsville, Texas, officials said.</p><p style="text-align: justify; ">US media named them as Latavia Washington McGee and Eric James Williams.</p><p style="text-align: justify; ">One suffered a gunshot wound to the leg and the other was unharmed, according to Tamaulipas Governor Americo Villarreal.</p><p style="text-align: justify; ">The victims visited Mexico because one of them was planning to have cosmetic surgery, he said.</p><p style="text-align: justify; ">It was not immediately clear whether the two deaths occurred before or during the rescue operation, but Villarreal said preliminary investigations suggested all four were alive until at least Monday.</p><p style="text-align: justify; ">"During the three days after the criminal act, the four people deprived of their liberty were transferred to various places, including a clinic, in order to create confusion and avoid rescue efforts," he said.</p><p style="text-align: justify; ">The bodies of the two US citizens who lost their lives were expected to be repatriated within hours once forensic studies were completed in Mexico, Villarreal added.</p><p style="text-align: justify; ">- 'Relentless' US pursuit -</p><p style="text-align: justify; ">The victims had traveled to Matamoros on Friday in a white minivan with North Carolina license plates, the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said in an earlier statement.</p><p style="text-align: justify; ">It offered a $50,000 reward for help leading to the return of the unidentified victims and the arrest of the perpetrators.</p><p style="text-align: justify; ">"Shortly after crossing into Mexico, unidentified gunmen fired upon the passengers in the (minivan). All four Americans were placed in a vehicle and taken from the scene by armed men," the FBI said.</p><p style="text-align: justify; ">A 33-year-old Mexican woman died near the scene, possibly from a stray bullet, Mexican officials said.</p><p style="text-align: justify; ">The White House denounced the kidnappings as "unacceptable" and offered condolences to families of the victims.</p><p style="text-align: justify; ">"We're going to work closely with the Mexican government to ensure that justice is done in this case," White House national security spokesman John Kirby said.</p><p style="text-align: justify; ">US Attorney General Merrick Garland said the Justice Department would be "relentless" in pursuing justice on the victims' behalf.</p><p style="text-align: justify; ">"We will do everything in our power to identify, find, and hold accountable the individuals responsible for this attack on American citizens," he added.</p><p style="text-align: justify; ">Mexican authorities said they had arrested a suspect who was guarding the abductees at a house in Matamoros.</p><p style="text-align: justify; ">- Cartel hot spot -</p><p style="text-align: justify; ">"We're very sorry that this is happening in our country," Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador told reporters, offering condolences to the families of the victims.</p><p style="text-align: justify; ">"Those responsible are going to be found. They are going to be punished," he added.</p><p style="text-align: justify; ">Tamaulipas is one of the Mexican states most affected by drug trafficking and other organized crime.</p><p style="text-align: justify; ">The US ambassador to Mexico, Ken Salazar, said that the abduction was "a tragic reminder" that both countries must "strengthen the fight against criminal organizations" along their shared border.</p><p style="text-align: justify; ">The Latin American country is plagued by cartel-related bloodshed that has seen more than 340,000 people murdered since the government deployed the military in the war on drugs in 2006.</p><p style="text-align: justify; ">The US State Department advises against travel to Tamaulipas due to dangers including "gun battles, murder, armed robbery, carjacking, kidnapping, forced disappearances, extortion, and sexual assault."</p><p style="text-align: justify; ">Despite the risks, Matamoros, located on the banks of the Rio Grande river separating the two countries, is a major stopping point for irregular migrants heading for the United States. AFP</p><p style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd24/kh</p>