49 die of thirst after truck from a festival breaks down in Sahara

See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred SourceBy SOPHIA STANFORD, NEWS REPORTER Published: 09:49 BST, 5 June 2026 | Updated: 09:49 BST, 5 June 2026

Dozens of people died of thirst in the Sahara desert after their truck transporting them back from a religious festival broke down.Authorities said last night that 49 people were returning from Mali where they had been taking part in Eid celebrations when their vehicle got stuck in an isolated Sahara desert district in Niger with no signal.It was reported that the truck had been carrying around a hundred passengers from Niger and it was believed that the driver had become lost, finally stopping after several days of travel.Trapped in 'the heart of a hostile environment', the truck was unable to restart and passengers began dying of dehydration after they emptied their water barrels.The region is said to be an area where temperatures are extreme and without enough supplies makes 'survival extremely difficult'. Two people, named by local paper Actuniger as Mohamed Bachir Souley and Issa Omar, managed to walk more than 50 kilometres on foot to a nearby water source.From there, they travelled onwards to Assamaka - a main crossing point between Niger and Algeria but also close to the Mali frontier.Once the pair reached the crossing, they alerted authorities to the tragedy that had unfolded in the desert. Dozens of people died of thirst in the Sahara desert after their truck transporting them back from a festival broke down The victims were buried in mass graves after becoming stuck 'the heart of a hostile environment' without enough suppliesA response team was dispatched, who then buried the victims in a mass grave at the site. It is said many were found around and under the broken down truck.The Agadez governorate confirmed in a post on Facebook that the 49 people 'died of thirst in a remote area more than 80 kilometres (50 miles) west of Assamaka'.'Deprived of water and unable to repair the vehicle despite the efforts of the driver, his assistants and the passengers, the travellers found themselves trapped in the heart of a hostile environment where extreme temperatures and the absence of supply points make survival extremely difficult,' the governorate added.The desert zone is a known transit point for migrants seeking to get from African nations to Europe and many have died from thirst or starvation in the scorching sands.