Twenty people, mostly African nationals, died on Thursday when a vehicle carrying them overturned in southern Algeria, the civil protection agency said.

Eleven people aboard the vehicle were also injured in the accident near Ain Mguel town in the desert province of Tamanrasset, 2,000 km (1,250 miles) from the capital Algiers, it said in a statement.

Tamanrasset is a crossing point for illegal migrants from neighboring countries, mainly Mali and Niger.