More than 60 suspected undocumented migrants from Ethiopia were found dead on Tuesday in a cargo container in Mozambique's northwest Tete province, a senior hospital official said.
"A truck transporting illegal immigrants from Malawi, suspected to be Ethiopians, was stopped at the Mussacana weight bridge in Tete, and 64 people were found dead. Only 14 survived," the official, who asked not be named because he does not have the authority to speak to the media, told AFP.
"The cause of death is presumed to be asphyxiation."
The victims were discovered in a blue cargo container loaded on to a haulage truck, according to pictures seen by AFP.
Mozambique is generally seen as a smuggling corridor for migrants seeking to make their way to South Africa.
South Africa -- the continent's most industrialised country -- is a magnet for poor migrants not only from neighbouring countries such as Lesotho and Zimbabwe, but even nations further afield, such as as Ethiopia.
Over 90 Killed As Boat Sinks Off Mozambique Coast PM Modi Meets Mozambique President In Gujarat, Defence, Trade Talks In Focus 4 Moroccan Migrants Found Dead Near Their Boat On Coast Of Spain Barack Obama Wants Joe Biden To Pull Out Of US Presidential Race: Report World's Largest Isolated Tribe Makes Rare Appearance In New Footage Shooter Had Trump's Face Right In Middle Of Crosshairs, Shows New Video Ice-Cream Shop Owner Hospitalised After Being Shot At In Pune: Cops PM Modi Meets Party Staffers At BJP Headquarters NMC Approves 50 MBBS Seats For New Medical College In Odisha Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.