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| Migrants die of thirst in Niger crossing the Sahara | Migrants die of thirst in Niger crossing the Sahara |
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| Dozens of people traversing the Sahara desert on their way to Europe have died of thirst in Niger, officials say. | Dozens of people traversing the Sahara desert on their way to Europe have died of thirst in Niger, officials say. |
| Rhissa Feltou, the mayor of Agadez, the main town in northern Niger, told BBC Hausa that 35 of the 60 travellers trying to reach Algeria had died. | Rhissa Feltou, the mayor of Agadez, the main town in northern Niger, told BBC Hausa that 35 of the 60 travellers trying to reach Algeria had died. |
| Agadez lies on one of the main routes migrants from West Africa use to reach Europe. | |
| Hundreds of migrants have died this month when their boats sank as they tried to cross the Mediterranean Sea. | |
| Mr Feltou said two vehicles had left the town of Arlit, north of Agadez, earlier this month, carrying "at least" 60 migrants. | |
| The convoy was heading for Tamanrassett, an Algerian town in the heart of the Sahara, he said. | |
| The mayor of Agadez said that after one vehicle broke down, passengers went to look for spare parts and bring them back for repairs. | |
| He said the migrants broke up into small groups and started walking. | |
| Days later, the survivors who reached Arlit, a centre for uranium mining, alerted the army, but troops arrived too late at the scene, he added. | |
| Those left behind consisted of "entire families, including very many children and women," Azaoua Mamane, who works for the non-governmental organisation Synergie in Arlit, told the AFP news agency. |