Bodies of 34 Migrants, Including 20 Children Found in Niger Desert

In recent years, neighbouring Algeria has seen a lot of migration from Niger.

The migrants probably died of thirst, as is often the case, said authorities. Image used for representation. (Photo: iStock)

• 34 migrants – five men, nine women and 20 children – were found dead in the Niger desert last week. They were most likely abandoned by people smugglers while on their way to neighbouring Algeria, authorities have said.
  
  
• “They probably died of thirst, as is often the case, and they were found near Assamaka,” a security source told AFP, referring to a border post between Niger and Algeria.
  
  
• So far, only two of the bodies have been identified – a man and a 26-year-old woman, both from Niger.
  
  
• In recent years, thousands of illegal migrants have arrived in Algeria, mostly from neighbouring Mali and Niger. Many transit through Algeria, headed for Europe.
  

(With inputs from PTI)