Seven young girls aged 8 to 12 died Thursday in the sinking of a canoe taking them to school, in the south-east of Côte d’Ivoire, we learned on Sunday from the emergency services. and local media.
Thursday afternoon, “ten students from a Koranic school boarded a canoe […] to cross the Bia River and get to the school on the other side. Unfortunately, during the crossing, the canoe hit a tree stump, causing the boat to capsize”, specifies the alert platform “Police Secours” which lists fatal accidents in the country.
“In this terrible situation, three of the girls were narrowly rescued by the boatman, but seven of them tragically lost their lives in the turbulent waters of the river”, continues the publication, pointing out that the victims have from 8 to 12 years.
The tragedy took place near Aboisso, about a hundred kilometers east of Abidjan, near the border with Ghana.
According to the public daily Morning Fellowshipthe bodies of the victims were recovered and an investigation was opened by the police.