A helicopter patrolling the U.S. border with Mexico crashed Friday, killing two National Guard soldiers and a U.S. Border Patrol agent, the U.S. military said.
In a statement, the U.S Joint North Task Force said the UH-72 Lakota helicopter assigned to the federal southwest border support mission crashed at 2:50 p.m. while conducting aviation operations near Rio Grande City, Texas.
The Joint North Task Force statement said another soldier was injured. The statement said the names of the victims will not be released until next of kin have been notified. The cause of the accident is under investigation.
The Associated Press, citing a county official, reported those on board included one woman and three men. The report said the person who was injured was in critical condition.
The Joint North Task Force is based at Fort Bliss, Texas, and is an operation under the Defense Department that supports Customs and Border Protection with National Guard units.
