IMB missionary dies in Niger following illness

NIAMEY, Niger — Harold McMichael, 66, a short-term Southern Baptist missionary to Niger, West Africa, died Jan. 20 after a short illness.

McMichael began suffering from nausea, chest pain and breathing trouble after a ministry trip to Mali with other missionaries and volunteers. He was taken to a hospital in Niamey, Niger’s capital, where he later died. The specific cause of death is not yet known.

McMichael, of Lebanon, Ky., and his wife, Jan, were serving a four-month assignment in Niger with International Service Corps, after arriving there in early November.

Jan McMichael departed for the United States Jan. 21. Her husband’s body was to be returned home later that week. Funeral arrangements were incomplete.