SAN ANTONIO – Sorting through old photographs, the family of two San Antonio sisters said it’s easy to see how much they loved each other.
“This one was a long time ago,” Marlene Lyon said. “We’re in disbelief.”
The family of Laura Salas and Maria Soto are grieving over the loss of their loved ones. Nearly one month has passed since the two died in a bus crash in Mexico.
The family is holding their funeral on Friday.
“It’s been hard,” Lyon, Laura Salas’ daughter, said.
Laura and Maria left San Antonio on Aug. 31 to visit family in Monterrey. They were expected to return early on the morning of Sept. 8.
When that day arrived, their family said they received no call.
“That’s when we realized that they hadn’t gotten home yet,” Lyon said.
Lyon said they tried calling the bus company and stopping by the station to get more information. They tried calling relatives in Mexico, as well.
Anthony Soto, Maria Soto’s son, said he then received a text message.
“I got a text saying there was an accident,” Anthony Soto said.
After hours of trying to figure out what happened, the family flew to Mexico.
“We were exhausted,” Anthony Soto said. “Calling different hospitals, calling different people and calling all any friends or family we knew in the area.”
The family had limited information, but eventually, they said they learned the charter bus that was expected to arrive in San Antonio crashed into an 18-wheeler north of Monterrey.
The bus burst into flames, the family said.
“It just felt too impossibly cruel,” Anthony Soto said.
The family said about 20 passengers were on the bus in total. After DNA testing, the family said it was confirmed that Laura Salas and Maria Soto were two of the four victims who died in that crash.
Making the arrangements to transport their bodies back to San Antonio and scheduling their funeral were expensive, Lyon said. The family has been collecting donations to help pay those costs.