A day of leisure turns into tragedy after three students all boys on excursion died after their boat capsized in River Gambia

A day of leisure turned into tragedy after three students on excursion drowned after a navy boat they were travelling in capsized in River Gambia.

The students who are from the Yundum Barracks Upper Basic School were travelling to Janjanbureh when the incident happened on Saturday morning.

Army deputy spokesman Captain Malick Sanyang confirmed the incident saying the navy boat was conveying them from the Laminkoto end of the river to the Janjangbureh end in batches. The ferry had apparently been grounded for maintenance.

Sanna Kijera a Grade 7 student, Musa B Batchilly and Aboubacar Jaiteh, also a Grade 7 student all drowned when the boat capsized.