A boat carrying popular Somali singer Hodan Aden and several other Somali refugees has capsized off the coast of the French-administered Mayotte, killing several people.

Singer Hodan Aden, known by her stage name Hodan Africa, was reportedly on board with her daughter and both died.

Abdulkadir Filfil, a close colleague and friend of the singer, told the BBC that there were 15 people on the boat and only one person survived.

The singer's death has been said to highlight how even famous individuals risk their lives to illegally cross the sea to Europe in search of a better life.

"Hodan was strong and passionate about her work; she was deeply committed to achieving the love of art she inherited from her father," said her close friend Abdulkadir Filfil.

Hodan began her singing career years ago in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, where she lived in exile.