Around 40 people are feared dead after their boat was shipwrecked off the coast of Cape Verde in West Africa. The migrants are believed to have been at sea for a month.
The migrant boat had set off from the West African coast a month ago with dozens of people on board, according to local media reports.
Most of the passengers are believed to have been Senegalese nationals, with the style of the boat being in line with vessels produced in the country.
Senegal's foreign ministry said that at least 38 people, including a citizen of Guinea-Bissau, had been rescued from the incident and a number of deceased migrants had been found on the boat.
"We must open our arms and welcome the living and bury the dead with dignity," Cape Verdean Health Minister Filomena Goncalves told the local Inforpress news agency.
Exact number of deaths unclear
Jose Rui Moreira, a health official in Sal, said there were a total 38 survivors, seven of whom needed to be taken to hospital.
The exact numbers of survivors and victims, however, varied, with the coast guard claiming that the total number of survivors and deceased was 48.
Police sources meanwhile said that about 100 people had initially been on board.
The local morgue reported that it had received the bodies of seven people, and was expecting more.
Read more: 13 Senegalese migrants dead in shipwreck off Morocco
Increasing frequency of rescues
The vessel was first spotted on Monday about 300 kilometers away from the Cape Verdean island of Sal. A Spanish fishing boat alerted Cape Verde authorities.
A similar incident occurred in January, when rescue teams in Cape Verde saved around 90 migrants in waters off the archipelago's coast. Two people onboard the vessel died.
The migrants in that rescue came from Senegal, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau and Sierra Leone.
Read more: Senegalese fishermen: 'Barcelona, or die trying'
Cape Verde: off the beaten migrant path
Cape Verde is not part of any migrant route as such, as the group of islands is located in the Atlantic Ocean about 600 kilometres from the West African coast.
However, it is on the way to Spain's Canary Islands -- a gateway used by hundreds of migrants each year to reach the European Union.
The route along the West African coast is dangerous, as it is susceptible to frequent changes in wind direction and high waves. The boats commonly used by migrants are often unsuited to such journeys.
Read more: More than 380 migrants arrive in Cape Verde and Canary Islands
with AFP