At least 49 people have died of thirst in the Sahara Desert after their truck broke down, leaving them stranded for days in northern Niger, authorities have confirmed.
The victims, all Nigerien nationals, were returning home from a religious festival in Mali when their vehicle became inoperable more than 80 kilometres west of Assamaka, near the borders with Mali and Algeria. The Agadez region governorate announced the tragedy in an online post late Thursday.
Two men survived by trekking over 50 kilometres to find a water source before alerting authorities. A delegation dispatched to the scene found dozens of bodies under and around the truck. The governorate said the travellers were trapped in a hostile environment with extreme temperatures and no water supply.
The 49 victims were buried in mass graves at the scene. Responders also aided a truck carrying over 60 people that had been stranded for three days after its battery failed.
