The safety of holidaymakers staying in luxury resorts in Mauritius has been put under the spotlight following the murder of Michaela McAreavey while on honeymoon on the island.
Three hotel staff are appearing in court charged in connection with the murder of the daughter of Northern Ireland Gaelic football manager Mickey Harte who was found strangled in her room in the Legends Hotel complex.
Two of the men are charged with murder and one with conspiracy to murder. Mrs McAreavey was found dead in the hotel room by her husband – who is not a suspect – after she had left him in the hotel restaurant 45 minutes earlier to get some biscuits for her tea.
Police believe whoever killed her had an electronic key card to gain access to the room. Earlier a police officer in Mauritius said the Irish language teacher had tried to save herself after it appears she found intruders in her room.
“The victim fought for her life. There was a struggle in the room,” he said. A post-mortem examination revealed that she had been strangled.
Yesterday tourism officials for the islands said the destination was “in mourning” over what was the first murder of a holidaymaker in Mauritius.