Marie Claire L’Entêté, a 49-year-old handywoman, and her partner Sylvio Armand, 60, met an agonizing end on Monday evening, October 16, when the small tin room they occupied on Rue Jean Blaise, Sugar Planters’ in Pointe aux Sables fell prey to flames. The couple found themselves trapped inside, as the door to the room was padlocked. After the fire had been contained, the Coromandel fire department made a macabre discovery. Two completely charred bodies were found under the debris.
At around 8:30 p.m. on Monday evening, October 16, a fire broke out in a room built of sheet metal. The Coromandel fire department was alerted by a 38-year-old woman living at the same address. The tin room was attached to a concrete house with a tin roof.
Once the fire had been brought under control, firefighters found the bodies of the two occupants of the room under the debris, completely charred. The bodies of Sylvio Armand and Marie Claire L’Entêté were examined on site by Dr. Sheila Jankee-Parsad, Principal Police Medical Officer, before being transported to the morgue of the Dr. A.G. Jeetoo Hospital, Port-Louis. Jeetoo Hospital, Port-Louis, for an autopsy. The autopsy was carried out on Tuesday morning, October 17, by Dr. Sudesh Kumar Gungadin, Head of the Police Forensic Department. He attributed the deaths to smoke-induced asphyxia.
One of Sylvio Armand’s relatives told Le Matinal Media that the victim had lived there for five years. His niece Claudine Désiré had given him the place, as he was having problems with his wife and children in Petite Rivière. At the request of his sister, Claudine’s mother, he moved to Pointe aux Sables with his concubine, Marie Claire L’Entêté. He was due to return to Petite Rivière as his wife had built another house in the same yard.
An investigation has been launched at the Pointe aux Sables police station to shed light on the circumstances surrounding this tragedy. While the couple had a penchant for the bottle, only Marie Claire L’Entêté smoked. A lit cigarette may have accidentally started the fire.
The funeral of Marie Claire L’Entêté and Sylvio Armand took place at 3pm on Tuesday October 17. After the funeral ceremony at Sacré Coeur church in Petite Rivière. They were buried in the local cemetery.
