At least 49 people die of thirst after truck breakdown in Niger desert

At least 49 people died of thirst in a remote district of northern Niger after their truck broke down. The group was returning from Mali to celebrate Eid al-Adha with family in Niger when they ran out of water. The truck broke down more than 80km west of Assamaka, a crossing point between Niger and Algeria, leaving the travelers stranded in the hostile desert environment. Two survivors managed to walk over 50km to a water source and then to Assamaka, where they alerted authorities. Rescuers buried the victims in mass graves. The truck had traveled for several days from the Malian town of Talhandek.

Nearly 50 people have died of thirst in a remote part of the Sahara desert in northern Niger. The group, returning from a Muslim festival in Mali, were stranded when their truck broke down more than 80 km west of Assamaka, a border crossing with Algeria. They ran out of water in the harsh desert environment. Only two survivors managed to trek over 50 km to Assamaka to alert authorities. The truck had departed from Telhandek in Mali and veered off its intended route, with repeated repair attempts by the driver and passengers proving unsuccessful.