IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser.

National Guard soldier goes missing in Texas river trying to rescue migrant

The incident unfolded on the Rio Grande in Eagle Pass, about 140 miles from San Antonio.
Get more newsLiveon

An Army National Guard soldier went missing in Texas on Friday after jumping into the Rio Grande to help a female migrant struggling in the water, officials said.

The serviceman was serving on Operation Lone Star in Eagle Pass, about 140 miles southwest of San Antonio, on the border with the Mexican state of Coahuila.

Personnel for the Texas Military Department, Texas Department of Public Safety and Border Patrol all joined in searching for the serviceman, the National Guard said.

The woman and about four or five other migrants appeared to make it across the river to safety on the U.S. side, Maverick County Sheriff Tom Schmerber told NBC News.

But the soldier who went into the water at about 8:30 a.m. CDT was not immediately seen, Schmerber said late Friday afternoon.