A tragic incident struck Lawra Senior High School on Saturday, June 14, 2025, when seven students from the school’s cadet corps drowned in the River Dikpe. The students, two boys and five girls had been crossing the river as part of their morning routine when their canoe capsized midstream.
While three students managed to swim to safety, the others, unable to swim, were swept away by the strong undercurrent. All seven bodies were recovered and sent to the Lawra Municipal Assembly morgue for preservation. By 3 p.m. the following Sunday, six of the bodies had been released to the families for burial. The final two bodies were retrieved the following day.
The students were part of the cadet corps’ early morning jogging routine. The accident occurred when they used a different route across the river, opting for a canoe instead of crossing on foot. Typically, the crossing was shallow enough for them to wade across, but this time, they chose to board a canoe.
A Burkinabè with the canoe was seen crossing the river at the same time, and ten of the 15 cadet corps members joined him. The rest waited behind. Unfortunately, the canoe capsized during the crossing, leading to the drowning of the seven students. Three students, two girls and a boy, managed to swim to the bank, but the others were pulled away by the current.
The Upper West Regional Director of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Razak Abdul Korah, confirmed the incident and stated that the GES would issue a detailed report soon. By 2 p.m. on Sunday, the GES visited two of the deceased students’ families in the Daffiama Bussie Issa District and was on its way to see a third family in Nadowli.
All seven students were buried by the time the report was filed. The GES has been visiting the affected families to offer condolences and support.
Abdul Latif Osman, the Upper West Regional National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) Coordinator, explained that the cadet corps usually crosses the river during their routine jog. Still, the crossing was typically done on foot as the water was shallow. This time, the cadets used a different route and boarded the canoe after seeing the Burkinabè crossing. The canoe capsized while crossing, and seven students drowned. The Burkinabè, who was in charge of the canoe, fled the scene and has not been found.
The accident occurred at around 8 a.m. on Saturday, June 14, 2025. The surviving students informed the community, and rituals were performed before the search began. The search team started at 10 a.m., and within an hour, five bodies had been retrieved. After a brief pause in the search, the remaining two bodies were found the following morning.
