# At least 49 people have died of thirst in a remote part of the Sahara desert in northern Niger after the truck carrying them broke down. Authorities say the group had been returning from Mali where they had attended a Muslim festival when they ran out of water, stranded more than 80 kilometres west of Assamaka, a major border crossing point between Niger and Algeria. The Niger desert remains a major transit corridor for migrants from across West Africa trying to reach Europe, repeatedly defying the risks associated with the perilous journey.
Nearly 50 people die of thirst in Sahara desert after lorry breaks down