At least 49 people died of thirst in northern Niger’s Sahara desert after the lorry they were traveling in broke down, authorities in Agadez confirmed.
The group was returning from a Muslim festival in Mali when their truck failed more than 80km west of Assamaka, a key border post between Niger and Algeria. With no water and extreme desert heat, they were trapped in what officials called “a hostile environment with no supply points.”
Only two passengers survived. They walked across the desert to Assamaka and alerted authorities. Rescue teams later found dozens of bodies under and around the immobilized lorry. The victims, who had left Telhandek in Mali but gone off course, were buried in mass graves.
The driver, his apprentice, and passengers spent days trying to repair the vehicle, but without water or success.
While leaving the scene, rescuers found a second broken-down lorry carrying more than 60 people stranded for three days after a battery failure. Soldiers gave them water, repaired the vehicle, and let them continue.
Agadez officials said the tragedy highlights how vulnerable migrants and cross-border workers are in the Sahara. The desert route remains a major transit corridor for West Africans heading toward Europe despite the extreme risks.
