At least 49 people have died from thirst in a remote area of the\nSahara Desert in northern Niger. Local police stated that the truck they\nwere travelling in broke down, leaving dozens of passengers stranded for\nseveral days in the middle of the remote desert.<\/p>\n
The Agadez provincial government stated that the victims included a\ngroup returning from Mali to celebrate Eid al-Adha with their families\nin Niger.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs many as 49 people died from thirst in a remote area more than 80\nkm west of Assamaka. Due to the lack of water and the inability to\nrepair the vehicle despite efforts by the driver, his assistant, and the\npassengers, the travellers were trapped amidst hostile natural\nconditions, where extreme temperatures and the absence of supply points\nmade survival extremely difficult,\u201d the provincial government said, as\nquoted by Al Jazeera.<\/p>\n
However, according to the provincial government, two people managed\nto survive after walking more than 50 km (31 miles) towards a water\nsource, eventually reaching Assamaka and successfully notifying the\nauthorities.<\/p>\n
A delegation sent to the scene by the Governor-General of the Agadez\nRegion, Ibra Boulama Issa, learned that the truck had been travelling\nfor several days from the town of Talhandek in Mali, approximately 300\nkm from the Niger border.<\/p>\n
It remains unclear what caused the truck\u2019s breakdown or exactly how\nmany days the passengers waited. The efforts of the driver, his\nassistant, and the passengers to repair the truck were unsuccessful.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the scene, the findings were horrific. Dozens of bodies were\nfound under and around the stationary truck,\u201d said the Agadez provincial\ngovernment.<\/p>\n
The desert zone is a known transit point for refugees and migrants\nattempting to travel from African nations to Europe. In this region,\nmany perish from thirst or hunger amidst the intense desert heat.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/bus-breaks-down-in-sahara-desert-49-die-after-celebrating-eid-al-adha-1780829879", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }