At least 49 people died of thirst in a remote corner of the Sahara Desert in northern Niger after their lorry broke down while returning from a Muslim festival in neighbouring Mali, authorities said.
The group became stranded more than 80 kilometres west of Assamaka, a major border crossing with Algeria. Despite desperate efforts by the driver, his apprentice, and passengers to repair the vehicle, they were left trapped for several days in extreme heat with no access to water.
Only two survivors were able to trek across the harsh desert terrain to reach Assamaka and alert authorities. Rescue teams later discovered dozens of bodies under and around the immobile truck. The victims were buried in mass graves near the scene.
On their return from the grim recovery operation, the rescue team which included Nigerien soldiers came across another broken-down lorry carrying more than 60 people. Those travellers had been stranded for three days after suffering a battery failure. The team provided them with water and repaired the vehicle, enabling the exhausted group to continue their journey safely.
That second lorry had departed from the Malian town of Harouba, more than 300 km from the Niger border.
The incident underscores the extreme dangers of the Niger desert, a key transit route for migrants from across West Africa attempting to reach Europe. In a statement, the governor of Agadez region highlighted the vulnerability of young people who undertake these perilous journeys in search of better economic opportunities, often through unstable and unforgiving terrain.
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