Over 87 bodies were found by rescue workers in the Sahara desert located in Niger republic, CEOAFRICA.com gathered.

The people were believed to have died of thirst after their vehicles broke down as they tried to cross the desert.

According to Almoustapha Alhacen, a rescue worker, the corpses which consist of mostly women and children, were already in severe state of decomposition while some have been partly eaten by animals.

Sources disclosed that the bodies could be of migrant workers and their families who were attempting to cross the desert and reach the coasts of North Africa, and from there move to Europe.

Agadez is still several hundred kilometres from either Libya or Algeria. There is nothing in between but sand - a perilous desert where the extreme heat can kill. Traffickers extort large sums of money from migrants seeking a one-way ticket for a better life. They all know that death may be on the way, but they're ready to risk it, clinging onto hope.

Furthermore, Mr. Alhacen disclosed that one of the vehicles the migrants were travelling in broke down and it appears that some of them set out on foot, including up to 10 people who made it back to Arlit, where they took off, and raise alarm.

"The corpses were decomposed; it was horrible. My guess is that the children were madrassa [Islamic school] children, being taken to Algeria to work”

"We found bodies across a wide area. We had no idea what to expect because we didn't know how many people had been in the vehicles. They were given Muslim burials where they were found.

''What was shocking was that they were small. There was a dead woman holding her baby," he said.

Security officials have said the second vehicle broke down as it was on its way back to Arlit to get spare parts.

48 of those found were children or teenagers possibly on a journey to low-paid jobs in neighbouring Algeria.

Niger is one of the world's poorest countries and frequently suffers from drought and food crises