Dozens of migrants 'die of thirst' in Sahara
Migrants make the treacherous journey in the hope of a better life in Europe. CREDIT: AFP Migrants make the treacherous journey in the hope of a better life in Europe. CREDIT: AFP
More than 40 people, including three babies and two children, have allegedly died of thirst while travelling through the Sahara Desert after their lorry broke down in arid northern Niger, as they attempted to reach Europe.
The BBC reported on Thursday that according to the Red Cross in the Bilma region, six survivors managed to walk to a remote village where they reported that 44 people, most of whom were from Ghana and Niger, had died of thirst.
There have been no independent reports confirming the incident, but the Red Cross has informed authorities and a search for the bodies is underway.
In a similar incident last June, the bodies of 34 migrants, including 20 children, were found in the Sahara Desert near the border with Algeria after they had died of thirst after being abandoned by their human trafficker.