A family in Tema Newtown is still in shock following the mysterious deaths of three of their kins.

The three, a woman and two men are part of 16 people who died mysteriously following an alleged curse invoked on the people by money ritualist.

RELATED STORY: Tema Newtown residents take spiritual sea baths to reverse curse [Video+Photos]

This created fear and panic in the area and residents were left with no other choice than to heed to a direction of a fetish priest in the area, who instructed them to take spiritual baths in the sea. 

The Chief Priest who led the rituals also allegedly demanded GHS1 from each resident, as a way of overturning an alleged curse he claims had been placed on the residents by money ritualists, known locally as “Sakawa” boys.

However, the family of the deceased who lost their third son on Wednesday, November 7, are confused because the deceased who died yesterday, duly participated in the spiritual dip.

Adom News reporter, Shine Acquah who visited the family home of the deceased said news of the boy’s death spread like wildfire in Tema Newtown, drawing a huge crowd to the house.

RELATED STORY: Tema Traditional Council angry over “premature” spiritual baths by Newtown residents

A relative of the deceased who gave her name as Naa on FM Adom’s morning show said the deceased complained of chest and stomach pains but died when rushed to the Tema General Hospital.

The two other siblings, she said, also complained about similar pains in the stomach and chest before they died.

This coincidence, Naa noted, is too serious to be attributed to just health scare, given what is happening in the community.

Coincidental deaths

Though the family is yet to receive any postmortem report, Naa said they were all living in fear as the spiritual fortification in the sea appears to have failed.

Meanwhile, the Ghana Health Service has allayed the fears of residents of Tema Newtown over unexplained deaths in the community.

Director General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr Anthony Nsiah-Asare, who spoke on Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem morning show Thursday, said preliminary investigations conducted by district health officers reveal that the deaths are purely coincidental and not spiritual.

Dr. Anthony Nsiah Asare

He explained that postmortem conducted on some of the deceased at the Tema General hospital revealed that the majority died of hypertension and another who was a lady, of ectopic pregnancy.

“The deaths are not spiritual or an epidemic so I will urge the residents to remain calm. Our men are still doing surveillance,” he added.

Dr Nsiah-Asare said the Ghana Health Service is still undertaking surveillance in the area to unravel the mystery behind the deaths. He called on the public to undertake regular checkups and exercise to prevent such avoidable deaths.