Seven students from Lawra Senior High School have tragically died after their canoe capsized on the Black Volta River during a morning exercise on Saturday.

Ten members of the school's cadet corps were crossing the river near Dikpe in the Upper West Region when their overcrowded boat overturned, throwing everyone into the water.

The students had been on their usual morning jog but had extended their route to the Dikpe Bridge area. It's still not clear why they decided to cross the dangerous river.

Emergency teams and local people immediately started searching for survivors. By midday, they had found the bodies of four students; two boys and two girls. Three other female students are still missing and feared dead.

Three students managed to survive the accident and are now getting medical treatment and counselling to help them cope with the trauma.

The incident happened during what should have been a routine fitness activity. Sources at the school say the cadet team regularly goes jogging in the mornings, but this was the first time they had attempted to cross the river.

Eyewitnesses believe the canoe was carrying too many people, which likely caused it to become unstable and tip over in the middle of the river.

Officials from the Ghana Education Service, Lawra Municipal Assembly and local security forces have all visited the scene to help coordinate the search for the missing students.

The tragedy has shocked the local community and highlighted the dangers of using overloaded boats on the region's rivers. Many rural communities rely on canoes for transport, but safety standards are often poor.

Rescue teams are continuing their efforts to find the three missing students, though hopes of finding them alive are fading as time passes.

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The school and families of the victims are receiving support as they come to terms with this devastating loss of young lives.