More than 40 West African migrants died in the Sahara desert this week after their truck broke down in arid northern Niger, the Red Cross told Reuters on Wednesday.
Six survivors walked to a remote village where they said that 44 people, mostly from Ghana and Nigeria and including three babies and two other children, died of thirst, said Lawal Taher, the department head for the Red Cross in the Bilma region.
Reuters and the authorities in Niger were unable to immediately confirm their account, but Taher said the Red Cross had told officials and that a search for the bodies was underway.
The number of migrants who cross the Sahara has increased in recent years as impoverished West Africans risk their lives to try to reach Europe.
In one of the most perilous parts of the journey, thousands of migrants each week are crammed into pickup trucks for the days-long ride from Niger into Libya, often with only enough room for a few litres of water.
Authorities and aid organisations are able to keep track of the thousands of migrant deaths in the Mediterranean Sea between Africa and Europe, but is it almost impossible to know how many have died in the vast and unpoliced Sahara.
Last year, a report by 4mi, an affiliate of the Danish Refugee Council, reported that it is likely that more migrants die in the desert than at sea, according to testimony from migrants.
Latest Stories
-
WAPCo postpones maintenance exercise to avert looming dumsor
12 minutes -
Sacking Otto Addo is the only response to poor Black Stars performances – Osei Palmer
34 minutes -
Investigators scale barricades to arrest S Korea’s impeached president
1 hour -
Reece James late free kick cancels out Semenyo stunner
1 hour -
IPPG calls on Mahama to retain and reset the Emissions Levy
3 hours -
Resetting the Ghanaian Economy: What to focus on
3 hours -
Mahama’s visit to Bawku is critical for lasting peace – National Peace Council
4 hours -
Scores injured in Walewale as soldiers are accused of brutal assault
4 hours -
Mahama meets Mamprugu king over Bawku chieftaincy stalemate
4 hours -
Mahama calls for robust investment to uplift vulnerable populations
4 hours -
Social media hate speeches harming peace efforts in Bawku – Peace Council
5 hours -
Policy Expectations of the New Government: A robust asset and liability declaration framework
5 hours -
Engender trust to resolve Bawku crisis – Former Defence Minister Dominic Nitiwul advises
6 hours -
Guardiola divorces wife of 30 years
6 hours -
Up to 4 in 10 people could develop dementia after 55. What you can do to lower your risk
6 hours