Nearly 50 people died of thirst after a truck carrying them from Mali to Niger broke down in the Sahara desert, local authorities said.
- The Nigerien nationals were returning home to their families when the truck carrying them got lost and later broke down in a remote area near the borders of Mali and Algeria, according to a statement published on Thursday by the governor of Niger’s Agadez region.
- “Stranded without water and unable to repair the vehicle… the travellers found themselves trapped in the middle of a hostile environment where extreme temperatures and the lack of supply points make survival extremely difficult,” the statement said.
- Two men walked dozens of kilometres to reach the nearest town and alert authorities about the incident.
- The bodies of 49 people were found under the stranded truck and in the surrounding area by responders, who buried victims in mass graves dug on site.
- The responders also assisted another truck that had been stranded for three days with more than 60 people on board after its car battery failed.
- Young Nigeriens travel to Mali for work at artisanal mining sites despite risks from militant groups.
