Tragedy struck the skies over the US-Mexico border near Rio Grande City, Texas, when a UH-72 Lakota helicopter carrying National Guard soldiers and a Border Patrol agent crashed, claiming three lives, as per Joint Task Force North's statement, the military helicopter had been on a federal government border security mission when it went down on Friday afternoon, sadly, the crash resulted in the death of two National Guard members and one Border Patrol agent, another soldier was injured, the investigation into the cause of the crash is ongoing.
The identities of the fallen service members have not been disclosed, local officials are coordinating with federal agencies following the grave incident, Starr County Judge Eloy Vera described the occupants as one woman and three men, stating that the sole survivor is in critical condition, as per KENS5; meanwhile, General Daniel Hokanson, head of the National Guard Bureau, mourned the loss on social media with the words, “We mourn these heartbreaking deaths... They are a tragic loss beyond words. All of these people represent selfless service & the best of America."
In January, a helicopter from the Texas Department of Public Safety suffered a power loss and crashed while patrolling the border area as part of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s nearly $10 billion Operation, the co-pilot experienced a minor hand injury, and the helicopter underwent significant damage according to information shared by KENS5.
Following Friday's fatal crash, the Starr County Sheriff's Office took to Facebook to announce its assistance with the "downed helicopter incident," and confirmed that the crash site had been secured, federal officials have been notified and are en route to take over the investigation, the U.S. Border Patrol has been contacted for comment, but they have yet to respond, as South Texas' Rio Grande Valley continues to witness a heavy presence of both state and federal authorities involved in routine aerial surveillance of the border, as Fox San Antonio reported.
