We don’t want autopsy on Tema dead fishermen — Family

The family of the two fishermen who died on Thursday at sea following a Homowo Festival fishing expedition said they do not want any autopsy carried out on the corpses of their deceased relatives.

The deceased are Samuel Akwei Allotey, 44, and Francis Tetteh Labi, 27, from the same clan, Nii Papaa Tse We, in Tema Manhean.

They were among 12 fishermen on a canoe that capsized after allegedly being hit by a patrol boat on the sea.

Richmond Armarh Annang, the Family Spokesperson announced this when the Tema Metropolitan Security Council (MESEC), led by Mr. Yohane Amarh Ashitey, Tema Metropolitan Chief Executive, commiserated with the family after holding an emergency meeting.

Annang said their relatives were already dead and no amount of autopsy would bring them back to life, adding that they realized that the two died because they were trapped in the net after their canoe capsized.

He explained that the blisters seen on the corpse were due to the petrol that poured on the surface of the sea after the canoe capsized, adding that this made it difficult for them to escape.

Nii Armarh Ashiboi, the Clan Head of Nii Papaa Tse We, reiterated the call not to conduct any autopsy on the bodies, stating that it would delay their activities as the two must be buried within the shortest possible time.

Nii Ashiboi further added that, per the customs of the Tema people, when someone dies within a festival period, the corpse must be buried early without entering the town.

He said they would want to bury them by carrying them straight from the International Maritime Hospital mortuary to the cemetery, indicating that the funeral would be held later after the Homowo festival, which comes off in two weeks’ time.

The Metropolitan Chief Executive, on his part, informed the family about the formation of a five-member committee by the MESEC to look into the circumstances that led to the incident and recommend the next step of action.

He urged the youth and the family not to resort to violence in dealing with the incident, as MESEC would ensure that the culprits, when established, would be brought to book.