Mauritius temporarily closes schools after night of unrest over police shooting

PORT LOUIS, Oct 13 (Reuters) – Mauritius closed schools in some parts of the country on Tuesday, the Ministry of Education said, following a night of unrest that began when a police officer shot a young woman.

• A police sergeant has been provisionally charged in connection with the shooting of Élodie Thomas, 27, local media reported without giving details on what led to the incident

• Thomas was wounded while travelling home from work in a van in a residential area south of the capital on Friday night

• Health Minister Anil Bachoo said Thomas underwent successful surgery to remove the bullet

• Police have not commented on the incident but have said an investigation was underway

• Protesters burned tyres and blocked roads in parts of the country on Monday night, prompting police deployments

• The Prime Minister’s Office said the situation had returned to normal and that all public sector services would operate as usual

• The education ministry did not say when schools would reopen, saying it would give an update later

• Public unrest is rare on the Indian Ocean island

(Reporting by Jean Paul Arouff; Editing by George Obulutsa and Kate Mayberry)