- At least five US citizens, a mother and four children, have been killed in a violent attack by suspected drug cartel gunmen in northern Mexico.
At least five US citizens, a mother and four children, have been killed in a violent attack by suspected drug cartel gunmen in northern Mexico.
The victims were said to be members of the LeBaron family, linked to a breakaway Mormon community which settled in Mexico several decades ago.
Video of the scene shows a burnt-out car and some victims may have burned alive. Several more people are missing.
Local media say the attack could have been a case of mistaken identity.
LeBaron family members were quoted as saying a large group of three mothers and 14 children had set off in a convoy of cars from Bavispe in Sonora state and were heading to La Mora in the neighbouring state of Chihuahua.
Some are believed to have dual US-Mexican citizenship.
They were ambushed by gunmen in Bavispe. A burnt-out bullet-proof SUV was later found by the side of the road with the remains of the victims.
Some reports say more dead were found in another location, but some of the missing are believed to have survived.
The attack is thought to be have been carried out by a drug cartel which operates between the two states.
The governments of Chihuahua and Sonora issued a joint statement saying that an investigation had been launched and additional security forces had been sent to the area.
