Texas tragedy strikes as helicopter crash claims National Guard, Border Patrol lives

There has been a high flow of immigrants on the United States' southern border with Mexico for a long time. In places such as Eagle Pass, National Guard officers continue to conduct intensive operations. On Friday, March 8, three people died in a helicopter crash.

A UH-72 Lakota helicopter crashed mid-afternoon Friday near Rio Grande Valley, Texas, while performing the federal government's border security mission. According to the Associated Press, two National Guard soldiers and a Border Patrol agent died. One soldier survived, but he is in a critical condition. According to Starr County Judge Eloy Vera, quoted by the source mentioned above, one woman and three men were on board. The cause of the crash is under investigation.

The names of the officers who tragically died in the crash will not be released until their families are informed, NPR reports, citing Joint Task Force North.

"Kelly & I, & the National Guard family, send our deepest condolences to the families, loved ones, friends & colleagues of the two Army National Guard Soldiers and the U.S. Border Patrol officer killed in today's helicopter crash in Texas. We mourn these heartbreaking deaths. They are a tragic loss beyond words. We pray for the speedy recovery of a third Guard Soldier who was seriously injured. All of these people represent selfless service & the best of America," wrote on X General Daniel Hokanson, the 29th Chief of the National Guard Bureau.

Sources: NPR, Associated Press