Seventeen bodies have been recovered from a boat carrying illegal African migrants that was found on the coast of Comoros, the Indian Ocean archipelago's interior minister said on Thursday.
Authorities said they believed the migrants were attempting to reach Mayotte, a French territory located between Mozambique and Madagascar.
The vessel was discovered late on Wednesday after residents of the coastal town of Mitsamiouli heard cries for help and alerted police, a local hospital director told Reuters.
Comoros Interior Minister Mohamed Ahamada told a press conference that nine bodies had been recovered early on Thursday, in addition to eight recovered overnight.
He said 30 people on board the boat had survived.
The hospital director gave a death toll of 18 and said survivors reported they were from the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Ahamada told reporters that most of the illegals were from Congo.
Illegal immigrants often attempt the dangerous crossing to Mayotte, which - though the poorest of France's overseas territories - offers access to the French welfare system.
In 2024, at least 25 people died near Mayotte after human traffickers capsized their boat, according to the controversial UN migration agency IOM, which has said thousands have died on the route over the years.
(Reporting by Abdou Moustoifa; Writing by George Obulutsa and Elias Biryabarema; Editing by Alexander Winning, Ros Russell and Barbara Lewis)