Three people were killed and one other person was injured in a National Guard helicopter crash in Texas on Friday, according to a statement from the Defense Department’s joint task force.
The crash occurred near the small border town of La Grulla, Texas, in East Starr County, according to Lt. Chris Olivarez with the Texas Department of Public Safety. The border town is also located near Rio Grande City.
The cause of the crash has not been identified, but it occurred at 2:50 p.m. Mountain time, during aviation operations.
The four people aboard the aircraft were three National Guard members and a Border Patrol agent, law the statement said. One of the National Guards members survived the crash.
The three Guard members were federalized under Title 10.
The identities of the soldiers and border agent have not been released so far.
A DPS official also claimed that the helicopter was not part of Texas’s Operation Lone Star but was a “military helicopter on federal orders working with Border Patrol,” according to Nexstar. DPS said it is helping federal officials with their investigation.
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The crash comes after a different National Guard helicopter crashed in Mississippi, killing two Guard members last month. The crash occurred during a “routine training flight.”
The Washington Examiner has reached out to the Starr County Sheriff’s Department for comment.
