Niger says 34 migrants, including 20 children, found dead

Thirty-four migrants, including 20 children, have been found dead in Niger’s vast desert after being abandoned by people-smugglers.

Agadez, in the landlocked west African country's arid north, is a popular waystation for migrants attempting to traverse the Sahara Desert and reach Libya and eventually Europe.

Of the adult migrants, nine were women and five were men. They died between June 6th and 12th, Interior Minister Bazoum Mohammed said, adding that President Mahamadou Issoufou expressed his condolences to their families.

Two victims had been identified as citizens of neighboring Nigeria, Mohammed said. It was not immediately clear what the nationalities of the other victims were.

The International Organisation for Migration estimates that 120,000 people crossed through Agadez last year.

The organisation recorded 37 migrants died in the desert last year.