Family remembers sisters from San Antonio who died in bus accident in Mexico

SAN ANTONIO – A family is grappling with the sudden loss of two San Antonio sisters who died in a charter bus accident while traveling home from Mexico.

The accident occurred on Sunday, September 8, a few hours north of Monterrey, Mexico. The family identified the victims as Laura Francisca Salas, 74, and Maria de los Angles Soto, 61.

The sisters grew up in Monterrey but moved to San Antonio to raise their families.

Marlene Lyon is Laura's daughter and Anthony Soto is Maria's son. They said their mothers were inseparable.

“They were always here together,” Lyon said. “They were always going out, running errands together, going shopping.”

They described her as loving, full of energy and always smiling. Anthony said he spoke to his mother the night before she died.

“I called Mom the night before and asked, 'Hey, are you getting on the bus?'” Anthony said.

When Sunday morning came and no one had heard from them, they knew something was wrong, so they started calling family members in Mexico.

“My uncle from Mexico said he found out the bus had an accident,” Lyon said.

The family said the charter bus collided with a semi-truck, which burst into flames. At first they didn't know if they were alive or in the hospital, so they immediately flew to Mexico.

“They said there were about 20 people on the bus and only four people died,” Anthony said. “I thought… there's no way those two were among the four.”

Through DNA tests they were able to confirm that their mothers were two of the four victims. However, the family still does not know how the accident happened. However, they do know what the bus driver told the investigators.

“The only thing he mentioned was that there was an elderly lady they couldn't help off the bus. My mom was 61 and her mom was 74,” Anthony said. “So I immediately thought, if that elderly lady had been my aunt, my mom would never have left her. They were so close.”

The family is grieving and trying to come to terms with what happened, but she said she has now found some peace.

“They stayed together until the end, and as hard as it is, I can't imagine how much pain there would have been if either of them had lost one or the other,” Anthony said.

Both bodies were returned to San Antonio late last week. The family is now planning the funeral. If you would like to help, they have set up a GoFundMe campaign.