Nearly 50 die of thirst in Niger after truck breaks down in remote Sahara desert

Article excerpt

Forty-nine people died of thirst in Niger after a truck broke down in a remote stretch of the Sahara, leaving passengers stranded without water in punishing heat. Two survivors walked fifty kilometers through the desert to reach a water source and the town of Assamaka, where they raised the alarm. The tragedy underscores the lethal risks of travel through one of the world's harshest regions, where breakdowns in sparsely populated areas offer little margin for survival.