Forty-nine people died of thirst in a remote district of the Sahara Desert in Niger after the lorry carrying them broke down, authorities said.
According to the Agadez governorate, the victims were among a group travelling back from Mali after attending a festival when they ran out of water.
The incident occurred more than 80 kilometres west of Assamaka, a key border crossing between Niger and Algeria that is also close to the Mali frontier.
Authorities said the travellers became stranded after failing to repair the vehicle despite efforts by the driver, assistants and passengers. With no access to water and facing extreme desert temperatures, the group was trapped in harsh conditions that made survival difficult.
The governorate stated that all 49 victims were buried in mass graves.
Two people survived the ordeal by walking more than 50 kilometres to reach a water source before continuing to Assamaka, where they alerted authorities.
The desert region is a well-known transit route for migrants travelling from African countries towards Europe, and numerous deaths from thirst and starvation have been reported in the area. (NewsWire)
