Two Marines from San Diego County’s Camp Pendleton were killed Tuesday when their vehicle rolled over while they were patrolling the U.S.-Mexico border in New Mexico, according to the Washington Post. A third service member was hospitalized in serious condition, the Post said.
The Post also said the deaths represent the first known military fatalities involved in President Donald Trump’s expanded patrols along the southern border.
Radio station KTSM in El Paso reported that the military vehicle crashed around 8:50 p.m. MDT on New Mexico Highway 9.
The dead Marines appear to be from Pendleton’s 1 Marine Expeditionary Force, which has been operating along the border since January, according to the Orange County Register.
San Diego County sailors also are currently patrolling the border area by sea. The destroyer USS Stockdale left San Diego Bay over the weekend to take up position offshore of the U.S. and Mexico.