Admitted to the intensive care unit ward at Rose Belle’s Jawaharlall Nehru Hospital since Tuesday August 1, Vandana Luchmee Venethethan, a 24-year-old woman from Quatre Bornes, did not survive her injuries. She was traveling in a 4×4 driven by her cousin, a 21-year-old Rosihillian, in the company of another cousin, a 21-year-old resident of Quatre Bornes, when the vehicle went airborne near the Mare d’Albert traffic circle. Seriously injured, Vandana Venethethan was admitted to the intensive care unit and placed on artificial respiration after undergoing surgery. She passed away at 8.25pm on Sunday August 6. To date, the number of deaths on our roads stands at eighty-nine, compared with fifty-eight at the same time in 2022.
On the evening of Tuesday August 1, the Plaine Magnien police station was alerted to an accident on the freeway at the Mare d’Albert traffic circle, near the Crystal Taj party hall. At 10.15pm, a team of police officers arrived on the scene. A grey 4×4 had all four wheels in the air. Three occupants were in the vehicle, including the driver, a resident of Trèfles, Rose-Hill and her two cousins, residents of Quatre-Bornes and aged 21 and 24 respectively. The victim was sitting in the back seat.
The 4×4 ended up in a gutter. It took a team from the Mauritius Fire and Rescue Service to extricate them from the 4×4. At the time of the accident, the three young people were returning home from Mahebourg. They were on their way home. The road was slippery. All indications point to speed as the cause of the accident.
Vandana Venethethan was rushed to Rose Belle hospital in an ambulance belonging to the Service d’Aide Médicale d’Urgence. Her two cousins were taken away in a Rose Belle hospital ambulance. Both were able to return home after treatment. The driver was given a breathalyzer test. This was negative. The 4×4 belongs to his sister-in-law. The driver will give his statement this Tuesday morning, August 9, in the presence of his lawyer. He will then be brought before the Mahebourg court on a provisional charge of manslaughter.
An autopsy was performed on the victim’s body on Monday August 7 at the Candos hospital morgue. Dr. Sudesh Kumar Gungadin, head of the police forensic department, attributed the death to septicemia due to polytrauma.
She was the daughter of Devarajen Venethethan, president of the Tamil League in Mauritius. In fact, she was secretary of this organization.
Since the announcement of this young woman’s death, messages of sympathy and testimonials have been pouring in on social networks. The quality of this woman from Quatre Bornes, who was committed to social causes, was highlighted. Vandana Venethethan also had a great passion for music. She was a student at the Mauritius Tamil Cultural Centre Trust.
The case is being investigated by Chief Inspector Ananda Nursimulu’s men from the Plaine Magnien police station to shed light on the exact circumstances of this tragedy.
