Steve Neavling

ticklethewire.com

Two FBI agents who were part of an elite rescue team were killed in Virginia when they plunged to their deaths during a counter terrorism exercise, CBS News reports.

Special Agents Christopher Lorek and Stephen Shaw, who are members of the bureau’s hostage rescue team, were killed when the helicopter involved in the exercise encountered problems.

“The FBI agents were participating in a maritime counterterrorism exercise involving helicopters and a ship,” Special Agent Ann Todd, an FBI spokeswoman, wrote in an email to CBS News on Monday. “The agents were in the process of fast-roping from the aircraft onto the ship when the helicopter encountered difficulties. The agents tragically fell a significant distance and suffered fatal injuries.”

The rescue team is highly trained and is often compared to the FBI version of the Navy Seals, CBS News wrote.