7 dead, 3 survive after Lawra SHS students’ canoe capsizes on Black Volta

A tragic canoe accident has claimed the lives of seven Lawra Senior High School students after a vessel carrying ten members of the school’s cadet corps capsized in the Black Volta River near Dikpe in the Upper West Region.



The incident occurred on Saturday, June 14, during a routine morning jogging exercise. Eyewitnesses say the students had extended their usual route to the Dikpe Bridge area and attempted to cross the river in a canoe believed to be overloaded. The canoe overturned midstream, throwing all ten students into the water.



Rescue teams and local volunteers launched an immediate search and recovery effort. By midday, the bodies of four students—two males and two females—had been retrieved. Three others, all female, remain missing. The remaining three students survived and are receiving medical care and psychological support.

Sources close to the school confirmed that early morning jogging is a regular activity for the cadet team, but the reason behind their attempt to cross the river remains unclear.



Officials from the Ghana Education Service (GES), the Lawra Municipal Assembly, and the Municipal Security Council have visited the scene and are coordinating ongoing recovery efforts.