Asylum seeker boat carrying 99 found

Authorities have found almost 100 suspected asylum seekers on board a boat near a lagoon at the Cocos Islands.

The Australian Federal Police boarded the boat on the island yesterday.

There were 99 people on aboard, Home Affairs Minister Jason Clare said.

The passengers will undergo basic health and security checks before they are transferred to Christmas Island.

Mr Clare said people arriving by boat without a visa after August 13 run the risk of being sent to an offshore detention centre.