Three people were killed and one was critically injured after a tragic helicopter crash in southern Texas on Friday. The helicopter, carrying National Guard members and a Border Patrol agent, was following individuals crossing the border with Mexico when it crashed near Rio Grande City.
According to Joint Task Force North, the operation was in support of Customs and Border Protection with National Guard units. Two soldiers and one Border Patrol agent were among the victims, but their names have not been released out of respect for their families. The National Guard confirmed that its members on board were part of the Army National Guard.
The cause of the crash is currently under investigation, but it has been confirmed that the aircraft involved was a UH-72 Lakota, a light utility helicopter used by the U.S. Army since 2006.
Maj. Ryan Wierzbicki, a spokesman for Joint Task Force North, stated that the helicopter was part of the National Guard’s support for Customs and Border Protection’s mission to secure the southern border. The National Guard unit involved in the crash was not part of Operation Lone Star, the border program led by the state of Texas.
Fortunately, no one on the ground in the area where the helicopter crashed was injured. The helicopter was patrolling the border and tracking individuals crossing into the United States illegally when it went down in an open field, according to Judge Eloy Vera, the top local official in Starr County.
The tragic incident serves as a reminder of the risks and challenges faced by those working to protect the border. Our thoughts are with the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives in this devastating crash.
