At least 22 people have died after their boat capsized in the Indian Ocean, while undertaking a perilous, 400-kilometre (250 mile) journey from Madagascar to the French territory of Mayotte, reports BBC News.
Another 20 people were rescued over the weekend, Madagascar authorities said.
Hundreds of migrants are estimated to die every year trying to make such crossings.
Search and rescue operations are ongoing to find those still missing.
"Forty-seven people had clandestinely taken a boat headed to Mayotte, but that sank. 23 of the passengers were able to be saved, 22 bodies were found," the Madagascar maritime authority APMF said in a statement about Saturday's accident.
The migrants are believed to be from Madagascar's northern city of Ambanja, a local resident told the BBC.
The crossings are often aided by smugglers who charge up to $700 (£570), he said.
Economic migration to Mayotte has mostly been by people from the Comoros islands, which are far closer to Mayotte, but there has been a rise in migration from Madagascar in recent years.
In 2021, French officials detained more than 6,500 people who were caught trying to enter Mayotte.
The number of people who have died trying to make the crossing is unknown, but a French senate report 20 years ago estimated that there were 1,000 fatalities each year.