80 People, Women And Children, Dead After Failed Crossing

The corpses of more than 80 migrants, mostly women and children who died of thirst, have been found in northern Niger after their vehicle broke down attempting to cross the Sahara Desert, military sources said on Thursday.

The migrants had set off in two trucks from Niger’s northernmost mining town Arlit across the desert towards Tamanrasset in Algeria in mid-October but dispersed to find water after their vehicle broke down.
According to the senior military officer, 80 bodies were found scattered in various locations about 20 km from the border with Algeria.
One of the military officers said about 20 people from the group managed to survive. Five of them walked for kilometers across the burning desert back to Arlit to inform authorities.
Many migrants still use the route across the Sahara Desert. More than 32,000 migrants have arrived in southern Europe from Africa so far this year although it was not known if that was the intended destination for this group.
Hundreds of those who make it to the Mediterranean have drowned trying to cross in recent months.


The Nation