Nearly 49 people die of thirst in Sahara Desert after vehicle breaks down, 2 survive

At least 49 people had died of thirst in the Sahara Desert after their truck broke down in northern Niger. The people were returning from Mali, where they had attended the Eid-al Adha celebration.

What Did The Tragedy Occur?

Passengers ran out of water while stranded 80 kilometres west of Assameka, a major border crossing point between Niger and Algeria. The passengers could not survive after a temperature became severely high and no water supply was available to them, the BBC quoted the governor as saying.

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Two people managed to survive as they trekked across the desert to Assameka. They walked 50 kilometres, reaching Assameka, and alerted the authorities. Responding to their information, a rescue team tried to reach the remaining survivors, but it was too late.

The vehicle had departed from the Malian town of Telhandek but veered away from its intended route, the Agadez governor's statement said. The driver and passengers repeatedly attempted to repair the vehicle over several days, but their efforts ultimately proved unsuccessful.

The deceased passengers were all Niger nationals. They were buried in mass graves by the rescue team.

Similar Incident

The rescue team informed that they discovered another vehicle carrying more than 60 people, who were stranded for three days following a battery failure.

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It travelled from the Malian town of Harouba, more than 300km from the Niger border, the governor said in a follow-up statement.

The rescue team, after reaching the spot, distributed water to the "exhausted travellers". The team then assisted to repair the vehicle and allowed them to safely resume their journey.

The Niger desert remains a major transit corridor for migrants from across West Africa trying to reach Europe, repeatedly defying the risks associated with the perilous journey.

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