A tragic incident has struck the Lawra Municipality in the Upper West Region, as ten students from Lawra Senior High School are feared dead after a ca
A tragic incident has struck the Lawra Municipality in the Upper West Region, as ten students from Lawra Senior High School are feared dead after a canoe they were using to cross the Dikpe River capsized in the early hours of Saturday, 14th June 2025.
According to eyewitness accounts and preliminary reports gathered, the students attempted to cross the river in a locally operated canoe, as there is no functional bridge at the crossing point.
The tragedy claimed at least three confirmed lives, with rescue operations underway to retrieve the remaining bodies.
Only three of the ten students on board are reported to have survived.
The river in question — the Dikpe River — has long posed safety challenges for local residents and students, especially during the rainy season.
This disaster, however, has brought renewed attention to an abandoned bridge project that many say could have averted the tragedy.
Abandoned Bridge Project
The incident has reignited public outrage over the delayed completion of the 275-meter-long Dikpe Bridge, a project that was commissioned with great fanfare nearly five years ago.
Then-President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo cut the sod for the construction of the bridge on 20th October 2020.
The contract, valued at €26,458,521.34, was awarded to Messrs Griner Engineering Ltd with a completion timeline of 24 months — meaning the bridge should have been operational by late 2022.
Former Lawra MP, Anthony Karbo, was among those present during the sod-cutting ceremony, during which promises were made to ensure the safety and economic transformation of the region through improved infrastructure.
Nearly five years on, however, the bridge remains incomplete, and residents say successive governments have failed to prioritize its completion despite repeated calls.
“This is not just an accident; it is a reflection of years of governmental neglect,” said a community elder in Lawra. “Had the bridge been completed on time, these young lives would not have been lost.”
Grief and Search Efforts Continue
As of Saturday evening, only three bodies had been retrieved from the river.
Search teams made up of community volunteers, NADMO officials, and local authorities continue to comb the waters for the remaining four missing students.
The atmosphere in Lawra is somber, with hundreds of residents gathered at the riverbank in grief and shock.
Teachers and students at Lawra Senior High School have been left devastated.
One teacher, who spoke on condition of anonymity, described the mood on campus as “heart-wrenching,” with many students struggling to come to terms with the loss of their classmates.
The finger-pointing has already begun, with many questioning whether Messrs Griner Engineering Ltd., the company that awarded the bridge contract, can be held liable for the consequences of the project’s abandonment.
Residents and advocacy groups are calling on the Ministry of Roads and Highways to provide an update on the current status of the bridge and explain the reasons for the delay.
There are also increasing demands for an independent inquiry to determine whether public funds allocated for the project were misused or diverted.
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