Two service members are dead after their vehicle crashed near the Mexico border in Santa Teresa, New Mexico, on Tuesday morning, U.S. Northern Command announced.
A third service member involved in the crash is in “serious condition” at a local medical facility, it said. The three were deployed in support of Joint Task Force Southern Border.
The fatalities are the first associated with the U.S. military’s mission along the southern border. More than 10,000 active-duty service members have been approved to take part in the border mission.
The names of those killed have not been released and will not be until next of kin are notified. The cause of the crash is under investigation.
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Troops stationed in Santa Teresa told Stars and Stripes that migrant crossings have dwindled since they’ve been there. The military has said it doesn’t have a time frame for soldiers deployed to the southern border.
“Joint Task Force Southern Border is committed to supporting our U.S. Border Patrol partners as long as directed by national leadership and consistent with mission requirements. Currently, we cannot provide a specific timeline for the units deployed,” a spokeswoman for the 10th Mountain Division, which is the headquarters in charge of the task force, told the outlet.
