LA GRULLA, Texas — Two National Guard members and a U.S. Border Patrol agent were killed in a helicopter crash near the Texas-Mexico border Friday afternoon.
According to federal officials, a UH-72 Lakota helicopter assigned to the federal southwest border support mission crashed at approximately 2:50 p.m. MST near the town of La Grulla, while conducting aviation operations near Rio Grande City, Texas.
One other National Guard member aboard the helicopter was injured.
Texas Department of Public Safety Lt. Christopher Olivarez confirmed that the crash happened near La Grulla. He did not provide further details and referred questions to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
La Grulla is in Starr County, in Texas' Rio Grande Valley. The Starr County Sheriff's Office posted on Facebook Friday afternoon that it was assisting with a “downed helicopter incident” on the east side of the county.
The names of those who died will not be released until their families have been notified. Officials say the cause of the accident is under investigation.
This is at least the second incident involving a downed helicopter near the Texas-Mexico border this year.
In January, a DPS helicopter crashed in Kinney County after it reportedly lost all power. The co-pilot suffered a minor hand injury and the helicopter was significantly damaged.
The helicopter in the January crash was flying as part of Operation Lone Star, Gov. Greg Abbott’s nearly $10 billion border mission that has tested the federal government’s authority over immigration.