EL PASO, Texas, Nov. 2 (UPI) -- At least 35 Americans have been killed in the border town of Juarez, Mexico, so far this year, records kept by the U.S. State Department indicate.
Officials told the El Paso (Texas) Times the total number of 2010 victims is expected to exceed the 39 Americans killed in 2008 and 2009 combined.
October was one of the deadliest months for Americans since Mexican drug cartels began battling for territory, said an official at the U.S. consulate in Juarez.
The latest victims are two Americans who were shot to death Saturday while traveling in a black sport utility vehicle near the Zaragoza international bridge.
Earlier this year a U.S. consulate worker and her husband were killed by gunmen near the Juarez city hall.
A U.S. high school teacher was shot in the back across the border from the University of Texas at El Paso in August while a 19-year-old student from UT-El Paso was killed by gunmen on May 23.
Officials in the Mexican state of Chihuahua told the Times more than 6,800 people have been killed in Juarez since 2008.
