A tragic incident occurred in the early hours of Saturday, June 14, 2025, when seven students of Lawra Senior High School (SHS) drowned in the Black Volta River near Dikpe, a border community in the Lawra Municipality.
Five of the students’ bodies have since been retrieved and deposited at the Lawra Municipal Hospital mortuary, while two remain unaccounted for as search efforts continue.
Cadet ritual ends in disaster
According to Mr. Abdul Latif Osman, the Upper West Regional Director of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), the students were part of the school’s cadet corps and had embarked on their usual early morning jogging exercise between 7:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. as part of a longstanding group tradition.
The cadet members reportedly jogged to the river and attempted to cross it into the Burkina Faso side — a ritual that previous groups of students had undertaken.
However, this time, the students deviated from their usual route.
Mr. Osman said they encountered a young Burkinabe man operating a canoe on the Burkina Faso side of the river and requested that he ferry them across.
Ten students boarded the canoe, along with the operator, making 11 people in a vessel designed to carry fewer than 10.
Canoe capsizes midway across river
Tragically, the overloaded canoe capsized midstream.
Three students — two females and one male — along with the canoe operator managed to swim ashore.
The remaining seven students were swept away by the current.
Residents of Dikpe reported the incident to local authorities, and community elders quickly mobilized to the riverbank.
In accordance with local customs, rituals were performed before the search could commence.
By mid-morning, between 10:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m., rescue efforts had begun, and within an hour, five bodies were recovered from the river.
The canoe itself was also retrieved, but the operator reportedly fled the scene and is currently at large.
Authorities respond, investigation underway
The incident has drawn immediate attention from education and security authorities.
The Regional and Municipal Directors of Education, the Lawra District Security Committee (DISEC), and the management of Lawra SHS were all present at the scene to assess the situation and coordinate further action.
“This is a painful day not just for the school but for the entire region,” Mr. Osman said.
“Efforts are ongoing to retrieve the remaining two bodies and provide support to the bereaved families.”
History repeats itself
This is not the first time such a tragedy has befallen the school. In 2008, a student drowned in the same river during a Geography Club excursion.
That incident led to calls for greater oversight and regulation of student activities involving natural water bodies.
The latest tragedy is expected to revive those concerns, with many urging authorities to review school-sanctioned group outings and establish strict safety protocols, especially for institutions located near rivers and lakes.
Community in mourning
The Lawra community has been plunged into mourning. Parents, school staff, and students have been gathering in grief, with many describing the loss as “unbearable.”
Grief counseling services are being mobilized to support affected families and students.
As of Sunday morning, June 15, NADMO teams and community volunteers continued the search for the two missing students, as law enforcement worked to track down the missing canoe operator for questioning.
Meanwhile, authorities have advised all schools in the region to suspend any unsupervised or unapproved outdoor activities pending further notice.
