2 soldiers, 1 Border Patrol agent killed in helicopter crash near border in Texas: officials
Three people — two soldiers and one Border Patrol agent — were killed when a military helicopter crashed near the southern border in Texas Friday afternoon, officials said.
“A UH-72 Lakota helicopter assigned to the federal Southwest border support mission crashed at approximately 2:50 p.m. MST today while conducting aviation operations near Rio Grand City, Texas,” Joint Task Force North said in a statement Friday night.
“Two soldiers and one US Border Patrol agent are killed. One soldier was injured,” the agency added.
“The names of the deceased will not be released until the next of kin have been notified.”
Officials initially said the chopper went down in La Grulla, a tiny town in Starr County along the Rio Grande River, according to Border Report.
The crash involved “a military helicopter on federal orders working with Border Patrol,” Texas Department of Public Safety South Regional Director Victor Escalon had told Nexstar.
The Texas Department of Public Safety confirmed that the helicopter was not involved in “Operation Lone Star” — the state’s border enforcement effort that uses its National Guard and other law enforcement units.
The Post has reached out to the National Guard, Customs and Border Patrol and local agencies for additional information.
Border Patrol sources told Fox News’ Bill Melugin that Mexican cartel members were watching the helicopter on one of its drones when it crashed.
They zoomed their cameras in on the wreck and were heard laughing in a clip posted on cartel social media.
The National Guard said in a statement on Feb. 27 that its director, Lt. Gen. Jon A. Jensen, “has ordered an aviation safety stand down of all Army National Guard helicopter units to review safety policies and procedures following two recent helicopter crashes.”
The move temporarily grounded all of the bureau’s helicopter fleet.
Two National Guard soldiers were killed when a military helicopter crashed in a wooded area during a training mission in Mississippi on Feb 23.
On Feb. 12, two National Guard pilots were hospitalized after their helicopter crashed during a training exercise in Utah. Both of those crashes involved AH-64 Apaches.
Five US Marines died after their military helicopter went down in a mountainous terrain in San Diego on Feb. 6 after experiencing stormy weather.
