Tragedy on the Volta: Death Toll Rises to Seven in Lawra SHS Canoe Disaster
The search for missing Lawra SHS students ended with the recovery of two final bodies from the Dewo River. Seven cadet members tragically lost their lives in a canoe accident during a drill.
Edem Latsu Nukafu eljourno 
The search for the missing students of Lawra Senior High School has come to a heartbreaking end after the final two bodies were recovered from the Dewo River early Sunday morning. This brings the confirmed death toll to seven, following the tragic canoe accident that occurred on Saturday during a cadet corps exercise.
Local authorities confirmed that the two remaining bodies were located approximately two kilometres downstream from the Dikpe River, where the canoe initially capsized. The conclusion of the nearly 24-hour search operation offered a grim sense of closure to grieving families and the wider Lawra community.
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According to reports, the students were part of the school’s cadet group undertaking a routine jogging drill when they attempted to cross the Black Volta River at Dikpe using a canoe. The vessel capsized midstream, throwing all ten cadets into the river. While three students managed to swim to safety, the remaining seven were swept away by the current.
Rescue efforts were quickly mobilized by a joint team of residents, National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) personnel, and local volunteers. By Saturday evening, five bodies had been retrieved, with the final two located early Sunday.
The Municipal Chief Executive, in collaboration with the Ghana Education Service and security agencies, is scheduled to meet with the families of the deceased to coordinate funeral arrangements and provide psychosocial counselling to help them cope with the tragedy.
The Lawra SHS community remains in mourning as tributes pour in for the young lives lost in the devastating accident.
