Teen Drowns in Baptismal Accident

Mon 6 Sep 99 14:30
Steve Quarrella
Teen drowns during baptism

HOUSTON Sep 06 -- A solemn religious ceremony ended in tragedy in Houston.

A pastor was baptizing a teenaged boy in a Houston river on Sunday when the boy slipped underwater and never resurfaced.

Divers found his body almost an hour later.

The pastor said he nearly drowned himself. The boy's father, Louie Law, witnessed the accident. "I don't know what I'm going to tell his mother when I get home," he said. "I have lost a son on a Sunday. I'm going to miss him."

Authorities were investigating the exact cause of the accident.

Initial reports indicated that a landing used to walk into the river gave way without warning.