CIUDAD VICTORIA, Tamaulipas – Authorities are investigating two separate attempts to carjack passenger buses along the highways that lead to the Texas border. One of the failed attempts led to a rollover, killing a passenger and injuring 16 more.

The crash took place this week along the San Fernando-Soto La Marina Highway, approximately 130 miles south of Texas. The passenger bus from the ADO line was traveling from the Veracruz to Reynosa when it rolled after suspected carjackers tried to force the vehicle to a stop. Initial information provided to Breitbart News by Tamaulipas authorities revealed that of the 16 injured passengers, 15 were moved to local hospitals and seven are listed in serious condition.

The second carjacking attempt took place almost at the same time when another ADO bus was traveling along the same highway, headed for Matamoros. Felipe de Jesus Lecona, one of the passengers, told Breitbart News that a group of gunmen riding in a white SUV tried to force them off the road but only managed to break a window. Lecona claimed the bus driver turned back shortly after to help the passengers of the bus that rolled over.

San Fernando is one of the main operational hubs for organized crime and, in the past, was fiercely fought for by the Gulf Cartel and Los Zetas. The rural area has numerous dirt roads that give cartels access to the border without the need for established highways.

The area where the attempted carjackings took place is known for a series of mass graves where Los Zetas buried 193 of their victims in 2011. Most of those remain unidentified, but it is believed that many were pulled off passenger buses. Los Zetas are also responsible for murdering 72 Central American migrants on one of their ranches.

Editor’s Note: Breitbart News traveled to the Mexican States of Tamaulipas, Coahuila, and Nuevo León to recruit citizen journalists willing to risk their lives and expose the cartels silencing their communities. The writers would face certain death at the hands of the various cartels that operate in those areas including the Gulf Cartel and Los Zetas if a pseudonym were not used. Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles are published in both English and in their original Spanish. This article was written by “Francisco Morales” from Tamaulipas.