The ministry has learnt that "communications have been lost with a helicopter which was making a night flight in the Cape Serrat area yesterday (Wednesday) evening," it said in a statement.

"Land, sea and air resources have been mobilised in coordination with the interior ministry to carry out searches to locate the aircraft and establish the fate of its crew of four."

The Tunisian military has lost a number of aircraft on training or reconnaissance missions in recent years.

In October 2021, three soldiers were killed when an army helicopter crashed during a night exercise in the southern province of Gabes.

The findings of an official investigation into that accident have still not been released.