Two individuals lost their lives in a tragic incident as a National Guard helicopter, carrying one National Guardsman and three Border Patrol agents, crashed near the US-Mexico border in Texas, as reported by the New York Post. The crash occurred in La Grulla, a small town in Starr County along the Rio Grande River, according to officials cited in the New York Post.
At the time of the accident, the helicopter was occupied by one National Guardsman and three Border Patrol agents. The Texas Department of Public Safety verified that the helicopter was not part of “Operation Lone Star,” the state’s border enforcement initiative utilizing the National Guard and other law enforcement units.
Sources from Border Patrol, as mentioned by Fox News, revealed that Mexican cartel members had been monitoring the helicopter with one of their drones, witnessing the crash. Disturbingly, they captured the wreckage with their cameras and were heard laughing in a video shared on cartel social media. Following the incident, the entire bureau’s helicopter fleet was temporarily grounded, as reported by the New York Post.
This unfortunate event adds to a series of recent helicopter crashes involving military and law enforcement personnel. On February 23, two National Guard soldiers lost their lives in a helicopter crash during a training mission in a wooded area in Mississippi.
