At least 49 people have died of thirst in the Sahara Desert after their truck broke down, leaving them stranded for days in northern Niger, authorities confirmed.
The victims, all Nigerien nationals, were reportedly returning home from a religious festival in Mali when their vehicle became inoperable more than 80 kilometers (49 miles) west of Assamaka, near the borders with Mali and Algeria. Niger's Agadez region governorate announced the tragedy in an online post late Thursday.
