The bodies of 34 refugees, including 20 children, have been found in the Sahara Desert, Niger authorities have said.
Bazoum Mohamed, the country's interior minister, said the group appeared to have died of thirst after being abandoned by a people smuggler.
Mr Mohamed said nine of the adults were women and five were men, and that they had died between 6 and 12 June.
A government statement said they were found near the small desert town of Assamakka, near the border with Algeria.
The statement, which was released on Twitter by Mr Mohamed, adds: “It draws attention to the risk posed to illegal immigrants by this perilious path, which is carefully maintained by criminal networks.”
Leo Dobbs, a spokesperson for the UN Refugee Agency, said he was “very concerned” by the reports.
He told The Independent: “In this particular case we need more information before we can comment in detail, but it is very disturbing.
“Large numbers of children, often unaccompanied, travel across Africa looking for a safer life, but they put themselves in danger by doing so.”
Two of the victims, a man and a 26-year-old woman, have been identified as Nigerian.
The nationalities of the others are not yet clear.
Around 120,000 people crossed through Niger's arid northern Agadez region last year, according to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).
