Mexican cartel members reportedly laughing while watching helicopter crash near Texas border, kills 3

On Friday afternoon, a military helicopter crash near the Texas southern border claimed three lives, including two soldiers and one US Border Patrol agent, according to Joint Task Force North.

A view from inside a vehicle shows emergency services personnel responding to a helicopter crash near La Grulla, Texas, United States, March 8, 2024 in this screen grab obtained from social media video. A.C./via REUTERS(A.C. via REUTERS)

“Two soldiers and one US Border Patrol agent are killed. One soldier was injured,” the agency declared.

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The UH-72 Lakota helicopter, which was on a federal mission to support the Southwest border, went down around 2:50 p.m. MST near Rio Grande City, Texas.

Agency will not reveal the names till the investigation is done with

“A UH-72 Lakota helicopter assigned to the federal Southwest border support mission crashed at approximately 2:50 p.m. MST today while conducting aviation operations near Rio Grand City, Texas,” the statements read.

The statement released by the agency on Friday night also mentioned, “The names of the deceased will not be released until the next of kin have been notified.”

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The initial reports suggested that the helicopter crashed in La Grulla, a small town in Starr County situated along the Rio Grande River.

Victor Escalon, the South Regional Director for the Texas Department of Public Safety, informed Nexstar that the helicopter was operating under federal orders in collaboration with the Border Patrol.

Texas Department of Public Safety indicated that the incident was not related to “Operation Lone Star,” a state border enforcement initiative involving the National Guard and other law enforcement entities.

Meanwhile, sources from the Border Patrol revealed to Fox News’ Bill Melugin that members of a Mexican cartel were observing the helicopter through a drone at the time of the crash. The cartel members reportedly focused their cameras on the wreckage and were heard laughing in a video shared on their social media channels.

This crash is the latest in a series of recent military helicopter accidents

On February 27, the National Guard announced an aviation safety standdown for all Army National Guard helicopter units. This directive from Lt. Gen. Jon A. Jensen, the director of the National Guard, was to facilitate a comprehensive review of safety policies and procedures. The decision followed closely after two fatal crashes earlier in the month.

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On February 23, a military helicopter crash during a training mission in Mississippi claimed the lives of two National Guard soldiers. Earlier, on February 12, two National Guard pilots sustained injuries in a crash during a training exercise in Utah, involving AH-64 Apache helicopters.

On February 6, five US Marines lost their lives after their helicopter crashed in the mountainous region of San Diego amid inclement weather conditions.