US National Guard helicopter crashes near Mexico border; 2 killed

Texas [US], March 9 (ANI): At least two people were killed after a National Guard helicopter with one National Guardsman and three Border Patrol agents on board crashed near the US-Mexico border in Texas, the New York Post reported.

The chopper went down in La Grulla, a tiny town in Starr County along the Rio Grande River, officials told Border Report news portal was cited in the New York Post.

One National Guardsman and three Border Patrol agents were aboard the helicopter at the time of the crash, according to the outlet.

Texas Department of Public Safety South Regional Director Victor Escalon told Nexstar that the crash involved “a military helicopter on federal orders working with Border Patrol.”

The Texas Department of Public Safety also confirmed that the helicopter was not involved in “Operation Lone Star” — the state’s border enforcement effort that uses its National Guard and other law enforcement units.

Border Patrol sources told Fox News that Mexican cartel members were watching the helicopter on one of its drones when it crashed. They zoomed their cameras in on the wreck and were heard laughing in a clip posted on cartel social media.

Earlier on February 27, the National Guard said in a statement that its director, Lt Gen Jon A Jensen, “has ordered an aviation safety stand down of all Army National Guard helicopter units to review safety policies and procedures following two recent helicopter crashes.”

The move temporarily grounded all of the bureau’s helicopter fleet, as reported by the New York Post.

Two National Guard soldiers were killed when a military helicopter crashed in a wooded area during a training mission in Mississippi on February 23.

Two National Guard pilots were hospitalized after their helicopter crashed during a training exercise in Utah. Both of those crashes involved AH-64 Apaches on February 12.

In another episode on February 6, five US Marines died after their military helicopter went down in a mountainous terrain in San Diego after experiencing stormy weather.