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Two pregnant women and seven others have been confirmed dead after the canoe on which they were travelling on the Oti River on Sunday afternoon capsized.

The deceased were part of 11 passengers onboard the canoe returning from a church service in Mawuvi Kofe to Dzagbeshi Kofe, both satellite communities in the Krachi East Municipality of the Volta Region.

The survivors recounted that they were on-board in the middle of the journey when the canoe was caught in a heavy storm and later hit a tree stump, which caused it to capsize.

The Municipal National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) boss, Dasievor Jacob, who confirmed the incident to Citi News, said all the nine dead bodies were retrieved from the river.

The deceased have been identified as Joyce Atali, aged 16 years; Bensah Atali, 21; Edward Atali, 18; Dormenyo Atali, 2; Amedzuwoe Akor, 22; Lucy Tsatsu, 19; Xolali Tsatsu, 18; Mkpebi Maabo, 30; and Adwoa Mkpebu, 19.

The bodies were later sent to the Worawora Government Hospital for postmortem and onward burial. Mr Dasievor cautioned the users of canoes to put on their life jackets and ensure the canoes are not overloaded.

Transportation on most rivers in Ghana is largely unsafe, and very little is done by government to ensure the safety of users.

In October 2017, 13 people, including a one-year-old, drowned in the same River Offin.

The victims, who were farmers, were using a boat to the other side of the river when it capsized.

Also in March 2017, two teachers and a student from Sadzikofe Basic School, Tornu on Have-Kpando road in the Afadzato South District, drowned in the Dayi river, a tributary of River Volta, while crossing the river.

The late Terry Asamoah, William Ahiati and a final-year JHS student were said to be onboard a wooden boat with other teachers en route to the next town to buy fresh fish when the boat hit a stump in the river, causing a leakage that capsized it.