At least two dead in National Guard helicopter crash near the southern border in Texas: the helicopter was “under federal order” and was transporting three soldiers and a Border Patrol agent

At least two people died after a National Guard helicopter crashed in Texas, multiple law enforcement sources confirmed. KXAN.

The helicopter went down on Friday afternoon in the border town of La Grulla, near the Rio Grande.

The plane was carrying three soldiers and a Border Patrol agent, according to FoxNews.

Law enforcement sources told the outlet that National Guard soldiers were working on Department of Homeland Security matters.

At least four people were seriously injured, the South Texas regional director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, Víctor Escalón, told local media.

The ‘Lakota’ helicopter belonged to the New York National Guard.

Escalón said the plane was “a military helicopter with federal orders working with the Border Patrol” and was not part of Operation Lone Star, the Texas border control arm that works with the National Guard.

The Starr County Sheriff’s Office said it is “currently assisting with a downed helicopter incident on the east side of the county, possibly involving four occupants.”

The Texas Department of Public Safety confirmed it is assisting federal agencies with the crash, which took place near Old Military Road, approximately two miles east of La Grulla.

Former Republican congresswoman Mayra Flores Vallejo asked citizens to pray for the victims.

‘I am asking for a prayer request and support for Border Patrol and CBP Air and Marine Operations. A tragic helicopter accident has just occurred near La Grulla, Texas. My thoughts and prayers are with you,” he wrote on X.