NIAMEY, June 5 (Reuters) – Nearly 50 people died of thirst after a truck carrying them from Mali to Niger broke down in the Sahara desert, local authorities said.
• The Nigerien nationals were returning home to their families when the truck carrying them got lost and later broke down in a remote area near the borders of Mali and Algeria, according to a statement published on Thursday by the governor of Niger’s Agadez region.
• “Stranded without water and unable to repair the vehicle… the travellers found themselves trapped in the middle of a hostile environment where extreme temperatures and the lack of supply points make survival extremely difficult,” the statement said.
• Two men walked dozens of kilometres to reach the nearest town and alert authorities about the incident.
• The bodies of 49 people were found under the stranded truck and in the surrounding area by responders who buried victims in mass graves dug on site.
• The responders also provided assistance to another truck stranded for three days with more than 60 people on board after their car battery failed.
• Young Nigeriens travel to Mali for work at artisanal mining sites despite risks from militant groups.
(Reporting by Niger newsroom; Writing by Anait Miridzhanian; Editing by Amindeh Blaise Atabong)
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