Rescue services were searching for a boat carrying 19 people that has gone missing between Madagascar and its destination, the Comoros, Comoran Transport Minister Hassane Alfeine Yasmine said Saturday.

The boat has been missing for two days and the neighbouring Indian Ocean territories of Mauritius and Seychelles have also been alerted, the minister told AFP.

The boat left Majunga, northeast Madagascar Monday, June 16, and had been due at the Comoros island of Mutsamudu on Thursday, Yasmine added.

“On board, there were 14 Malagasy, four Comorians and one Afghan,” she said.

All were men except for a young woman, the daughter of the owner of the boat, the minister said. The boat was flying the Madagascar flag.

“Immediately after the alert, the Comorian government contacted all competent authorities, including the gendarmerie, coastguards and the sub-region to help in the search,” she said.

She was also in touch with the transport minister in Madagascar, she added.

The crossing between the two islands off Africa’s east coast covers around 440 kilometres (270 miles).

Maritime connections between the two countries resumed in April after an interruption of several months following an outbreak of cholera on the Comoros in 2024. (AFP)