Seven young girls, aged 8 to 12, died Thursday when a canoe carrying them to school in southeastern Ivory Coast sank when a canoe sank, emergency services and local media told us on Sunday.
On Thursday afternoon, “ten students from a madrassa got into a canoe […] to cross the river Bia and get to the school on the other side. Unfortunately, the canoe hit a tree stump during the crossing, causing the boat to capsize,” says the Police Secours alert platform, which lists fatal accidents in the country.
“In this horrific situation, three of the girls were narrowly rescued by the boatswain, but seven of them tragically perished in the turbulent waters of the river,” the publication continues, noting that the victims were between the ages of 8 and 12 years old.
The tragedy happened near Aboisso, about a hundred kilometers east of Abidjan, near the border with Ghana.
According to the public daily Fraternité Matin, the bodies of the victims have been recovered and an investigation has been launched by the police.