Amnesty International says a catalogue of failures in Madagascar's criminal justice system has led to people in pre-trial detention dying due to the appalling conditions in which they are being held.

After visiting prisons across Madagascar the rights group found that more than 11,000 people including children had been arbitrarily placed in pre-trial detention which often lasts for years - many were there for what it called petty non-violent crimes.

Amnesty reports that last year more than 50 people died in prison before they had gone on trial.

It said detainees complained about cells infested with rats and tuberculosis was a common cause of death.