A 20-year-old man has drowned while being baptised by a pastor in River Densu [Weija] in Accra.
In a video circulating on social media, Yaw Kyeremeh is seen stationed at the banks of River Densu together with a pastor who immersed him in the water.
Then after brief prayers, he was immersed a second time but he did not emerge from the waters.
The pastor tried to save himself when Kyeremeh slipped from his hands and shouted for help.
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The incident happened on Sunday, December 9, 2018, in the afternoon and was captured on video.
According to the Accra Regional Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Effia Tenge, a junior pastor had been arrested at the scene while police were still searching for the head pastor of the church involved in the baptism.
The drowning, which happened on Sunday, has led many people to question why a life should be lost during a religious ritual.
The man’s family is said to have noted that they do not blame anyone for the drowning.
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Police said the 20-year-old’s body was in a mortuary, and an autopsy still needed to be done before it was given to the family for burial.
Speaking to the television station UTV, Evans Alex Ernest, a brother of the deceased confirmed the brother was dead.
He refused to mention the name of the church during the television interview via telephone.
He said when he received the information, whilst he himself was also attending a church service somewhere, he attempted reaching the brother on the telephone but could not get through.
He said he went to the place moments later and was told the police had taken the body away to the police hospital mortuary.
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On the next day, Monday, December 10, they followed up and saw the video of the incident and when they went to the mortuary on Monday, they identified the deceased as their brother Yaw, he was 20 years.
He said Yaw had just converted to become a Christian and was undergoing the symbolic baptism.
He said the family was looking forward to the burial and cannot blame the pastor for the incident.
It was after this person had been baptised that Yaw Kyeremeh took his turn.