At least 49 people have died of thirst in a remote part of Niger’s Sahara Desert after the truck transporting them broke down, authorities said on Thursday.
The victims were among a group travelling from Mali to celebrate a Muslim festival when their vehicle developed a fault, leaving them stranded in an isolated desert area with no access to water.
In a statement, the Agadez governorate said the incident occurred more than 80 kilometres west of Assamaka, a key border town near Algeria and close to the Malian frontier.
According to the authorities, efforts by the driver, his assistants and passengers to repair the truck proved unsuccessful, leaving the travellers trapped in harsh desert conditions.
“Without water and with no nearby supply points, the passengers found themselves in an extremely difficult situation,” the statement said.
The governorate explained that the intense heat and harsh environment made survival impossible for many of those stranded.
The victims were later buried in mass graves.
Two people, however, survived the ordeal after trekking more than 50 kilometres to reach a water source. They eventually made their way to Assamaka, where they alerted authorities about the tragedy.
The Sahara corridor remains a major migration route for people travelling across North and West Africa, particularly those seeking to reach Europe.
Humanitarian organisations have repeatedly warned about the dangers of the route, where migrants and travellers frequently face extreme temperatures, dehydration and starvation.
The latest incident adds to a growing number of deaths recorded in the desert region in recent years.
