Pupils of Nancy International School at Dawhenya near Tema, were on Thursday thrown into a state of mourning when a four-year-old pupil of the school fell and drowned in an uncovered manhole.

David Dan-Doe, the crèche pupil, was pulled out dead by an employee of his father after the boy fell into the manhole while playing with his friends.

The mortal remains of the boy has since been deposited at the Tema General Hospital morgue.

Mr Benjamin Dan-Doe, the father of the deceased, told the GNA on Friday that he received a call from a teacher of the school on Thursday informing him that his son was missing.

When he rushed to the school, Mr Dan-Doe said he saw the lifeless body of his son lying beside the manhole with the teachers, pupils and residents surrounded him.

The father said some of the pupils told him that his son was pushed into the pit by one of his friends when they were playing, and that immediately after the incident, they informed one of the teachers who claimed he could not go into the pit to rescue the boy because he would get dirty.

He said information reached one of his employees who rushed to the scene and tried to rescue David.

Headmaster of the school, Mr John Kwabena Akumani, denied the allegation that the teachers looked on unconcerned while the boy was dying.

He explained that two teachers dived into the manhole in an attempt to rescue David but failed.

According to the headmaster, it took the teachers and two other onlookers more than 20 minutes trying to rescue the boy, until the employee of David's father came to the scene and dived into the pit to retrieve the boy’s body.

The Crime Officer of the Prampram District Police confirmed the incident and said the owner of the manhole and the Proprietresses of the School have been invited to assist the Police in investigations.