Bodies of 92 migrants found near Niger's border with Algeria

The bodies of 92 migrants who died of thirst attempting to cross the Sahara desert have been found in Niger.

The group of mainly women and children were stranded after their vehicles broke down, leaving them to walk in the scorching sun to reach a well.

Rescuers found the decomposed bodies, some eaten by jackals, strewn across the desert over a large distance, to within 20 kilometres of the border with Algeria, their planned destination.

Rescue workers who found the bodies, which include 32 women and 48 children, have said the group may have included a party from an Islamic madrasa school, given the large number of children and an elderly man who appeared to have been an Islamic teacher among the victims .

Almoustapha Alhacen, from local aid organisation Aghir in'Man, confirmed the death toll and gave a graphic account of discovering the bodies.

"The corpses were decomposed; it was horrible," he said. "We found them in different locations in a 20-kilometre radius and in small groups, often under trees, or under the sun. Sometimes a mother and children, but some lone children too," Alhacen said.

The bodies were buried according to Muslim rites, "as and when they were found", added Alhacen.