A helicopter flying over the US-Mexico border in Texas crashed, killing two National Guard soldiers and a Border Patrol agent, the military said. Another soldier on board was injured, the AP reports. The UH-72 Lakota helicopter was assigned to the federal government's border security mission when it went down Friday near Rio Grande City, according to a statement released by Joint Task Force North. The cause was under investigation. The crash happened while the helicopter was conducting aviation operations, according to the statement. No other details were provided.
Starr County Judge Eloy Vera, the county's top official, said those on board included one woman and three men. He said the person who was injured was in critical condition. The names of those aboard were not immediately released. "We mourn these heartbreaking deaths," Gen. Daniel Hokanson, head of the National Guard Bureau, posted on X. "They are a tragic loss beyond words. All of these people represent selfless service & the best of America." Border Patrol spokespersons did not immediately return messages seeking comment.
The site of the crash is in Texas' Rio Grande Valley. The border region is heavily patrolled by both state and federal authorities, which includes routine aerial surveillance. In January, a Texas Department of Public Safety helicopter patrolling the state's border with Mexico lost power and crashed, officials said at the time. The co-pilot suffered a minor hand injury. That helicopter was flying as part of Operation Lone Star, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's nearly $10 billion border mission that has tested the federal government's authority over immigration, per the AP.
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