A boat containing as many as 20 severely decomposed bodies has been found off the northeastern coast of Brazil, reports said on Tuesday.

The vessel was found near Braganca, northeast of Para, on April 13, prompting two investigations to be launched, as reported by CNN.

The Brazilian Federal Public Ministry stated that due to the advanced decomposition of the remains, it remains unclear how many individuals perished aboard the boat.

The Attorney General's office noted conflicting reports, suggesting there could be up to 20 corpses onboard. Consequently, both criminal and civil investigations have been initiated into the incident.

Authorities suspect the deceased are not Brazilian but may have originated from the Caribbean region.

Despite this unsettling discovery, local authorities have not received recent reports of missing Brazilians, reports added.