A Kenya Defense Force helicopter. (Courtesy)

An unspecified number of Kenyan soldiers are presumed killed in a helicopter crash while on air patrol in Lamu County on Monday night, an army statement said.

The Kenya Airforce Huey Helicopter crashed in the coastal city east of the country near the Indian Ocean, the country’s military said on Tuesday.

“The crew and other personnel onboard were part of an air surveillance intensifying day and night patrols and surveillance for the ongoing Operation Amani Boni,” Kenya Defense Force said in a statement.

“The leadership and entire KDF fraternity condole with the families of the crew.”

According to The Star newspaper, at least eight Kenya Defence Forces personnel are suspected to have died in the Monday, September 18 helicopter crash.

While the cause of the crash is yet to be established, the statement added that a board of inquiry has been constituted and dispatched to the scene to establish the cause of the crash.