At least 49 people have died of thirst in one of the most isolated parts of the Sahara desert in northern Niger. Their truck broke down, leaving them stranded for days with no water.
The group was traveling from Mali back to Niger. They wanted to reach their families in time for Eid al-Adha, an important Muslim festival. But something went terribly wrong along the way.
According to the Agadez governorate, the truck broke down in a remote area more than 80 kilometers west of a place called Assamaka. That town is a main border crossing between Niger and Algeria, and it is also close to the Mali frontier.
The passengers, the driver, and his helpers all tried to fix the vehicle. Nothing worked. Soon they ran out of water. The governorate said the travelers found themselves trapped in the heart of a very hostile environment. Temperatures were extreme, and there were no places nearby to get more water or help.
In those conditions, survival became almost impossible.
Two people somehow made it out alive. They walked more than 50 kilometers on foot until they reached a water source. Then they kept walking to Assamaka, where they finally alerted the authorities.
When a rescue team sent by the Agadez Region Governor General Ibra Boulama Issa arrived at the scene, what they found was deeply disturbing. Dozens of lifeless bodies were lying under the broken truck and scattered around it.
The governorate learned that the truck had been traveling for several days from a Malian town called Talhandek, which is about 300 kilometers from the Nigerian border. It is still not clear exactly what caused the breakdown or how many days the passengers waited before dying.
This desert zone is well known as a transit point for refugees and migrants. Many people trying to get from African nations to Europe pass through this area. And every year, many of them die from thirst or starvation in the scorching sands.
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