Three Americans named as victims in Veracruz bus attack - mother, teenage girls

A mother and her two young daughters, all U.S. citizens, have been identified by media sources as among the victims in yesterday's deadly attacks against three passenger buses in Mexico's northern Veracruz state. Americans have been warned to avoid the area: http://mexicogulfreporter.blogspot.com/2011/12/us-warns-citizens-after-narco.html.

Spanish language news reports confirm that María Sánchez Hernández, 39, together with her daughters Karla Patricia Hartsell (Sánchez), 19, and Cristina Hartsell (Sánchez), 13, were killed. They were en route to a family Christmas gathering.

Mexican security forces say that the unprecedented assault against unarmed civilians traveling on separate buses had no apparent motive other than to incite terror. Most bus transportation in the region remains suspended. The U.S. consulate in Matamoros issued an emergency travel alert, warning Americans to exercise extreme caution in the area.

The two girls held dual U.S-Mexican citizenship. Their father, who survived the attack, is said to be a U.S. national. Their mother, María Sánchez Hernández, was a Mexican citizen by birth who later acquired U.S. citizenship by marriage. Authorities in both countries are coordinating arrangements for repatriation of the three victims to the United States.

The family was from the Ft. Worth, Texas area.