Forty-nine people died of thirst in the Sahara in northern Niger after their lorry broke down, the regional government of Agadez said on Friday.
The travellers had been returning from neighbouring Mali to spend Eid al-Adha, the Islamic Feast of Sacrifice, with their families in Niger, it said.
The vehicle broke down in a remote desert region more than 80 kilometres west of the border town of Assamaka, according to the statement. Attempts by the driver, his assistants and the passengers to repair the lorry failed.
Without water, the group was stranded in the desert in extreme temperatures. The dead were buried in mass graves, it said.
Two people survived
Two people survived, according to the statement. They walked more than 50 kilometres to a water point and then reached Assamaka, where they alerted the authorities.
On the way back from the operation, volunteers found another broken-down lorry with more than 60 people on board, the governorate said. The travellers had been stranded in the desert after a three-day breakdown and were supplied with water.
Assamaka is close to the borders with Algeria and Mali and is an important hub on travel routes through the Sahara. Migrants also repeatedly become stranded in the desert or are abandoned by authorities during illegal deportations.
