[Niamh.]

Such a sad story, 3 staff members have this morning been arrested.

http://www.insideireland.ie/index.cf.../category/1123

The daughter of Tyrone GAA manager Mickey Harte has been murdered while on her honeymoon in Mauritius. Police in the Indian Ocean island have have stated that Michaela Harte, 27, was strangled and that they have begun a murder investigation.

Ten people are being sought forr questioning as part of the investigation. Superintendent Yussuf Soopun of the Major Crime Unit in Mauritius said Michaela's husband John McAreavey was not one of those suspects.

Ms Harte was found dead in her room at the Legends Hotel in the village of Grand Gaube. Police said the hotel room was in disarray and that they are examining CCTV footage from the complex.

An autopsy carried out this morning has determined that the 27 year old had been strangled.

Supt Soopun said her husband, Down footballer John McAreavey, was in the restaurant of the hotel when his wife was murdered. The police officer said investigators were examining whether her death was related to a burglary attempt.

“She had gone back to the room to get some biscuits to put in her tea and, when she failed to return, her husband went to look for her,” he said. "When he found her in the room, she had been killed. He tried to help her but she was already dead.

“There was no forced entry into the room,” he said. “Whoever killed her definitely used an electronic card.""This is being viewed with much concern by the police and government of Mauritius. We are doing everything we can to find whoever was responsible,” he added.

Michaela Harte married the Down footballer on 30 December. Her husband is a nephew of Dr John McAreavey, the Bishop of Dromore, who officiated at the wedding ceremony.

Speaking on BBC Radio Ulster this morning, Fr Gerard McAleer, who managed the Tyrone team along with Mickey Harte, said: "Yesterday afternoon I got a phone call from Mark, Michaela's older brother, and he told me he had bad news.

"When he said to me it was 'Our Michaela, our Michaela is dead', and his voice was breaking, my heart sank, and my heart was broken too. I have known Michaela all her life, from the day she came into the world and I had seen her over the years emerge as a very beautiful well-adjusted young woman.

"I was at her wedding, concelebrated the wedding mass, and then just like everyone else I'm bewildered. To hear that news this morning about the circumstances, it's beyond words."

A joint statement by Mickey Harte and Bishop McAreavey on Monday said they had been notified of the young woman's death.

"We ask for prayers for Michaela, John and their families and loved ones," the statement said. "Both families are deeply shocked and devastated by this tragic news and they ask for privacy and space at this time of profound grief."

A spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs said: "We are providing consular assistance to the family of an Irish citizen who passed away in Mauritius."

Michaela Harte taught Irish Saint Patrick's Academy in Dungannon, Co Tyrone and was a former Rose of Tralee contestant. She is survived by her husband John, parents Mickey and Marian, and brothers Mark, Michael and Matthew.