An overnight military helicopter crash occurred in Kenya during a patrol mission in the coastal county of Lamu, resulting in the tragic loss of all crew members on board.

The crash took place within the Boni forest, an area that spans the border with Somalia and has been a location from which the Somali militant group al-Shabab has carried out deadly attacks.

The Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) has not disclosed the exact number of individuals aboard the helicopter at the time of the accident.

Nevertheless, some media reports suggest that at least eight people lost their lives in the incident.

According to the KDF statement, "The crew and other military personnel onboard were part of an air surveillance squadron intensifying day and night patrols and surveillance for the ongoing Operation Amani Boni."

A board of inquiry has been dispatched to the Boni forest to investigate the cause of the crash.