A woman who turned up at the San Fernando mortuary on Thursday to witness the autopsy of her teenage brother, who was crushed to death, was shocked to see undertakers bringing in the body of her husband.
Already mourning Shivnarine Manbodh's tragic death, Hema Manbodh-Singh said her family faced a double blow when her estranged husband Praimraj Singh suddenly collapsed and died.
Singh, 42, is believed to have suffered a heart attack, less than 24 hours after Shivnarine, 17, was buried under tonnes of earth at a construction site at No 2 Scale, Barrackpore.
An autopsy done on Shivnarine's body revealed he died from a crushed skull. An autopsy on the body of Singh will be done today.
The reality of the double tragedy seemed like a bad dream to Hema, who spoke to the Guardian in an interview on Thursday.
"My husband and I were separated for the past year. My children stayed with him so they called him about 7 o'clock to tell him that they were staying a while longer by their grandmother," she said.
While on the way to the mortuary, Hema said, she received a call from a neighbour that Singh had collapsed.
"I did not know that it was so bad. We were in the mortuary waiting for the doctor to do the autopsy when one of the guys from the funeral home came up to us and said my husband's body coming. I did not even know my husband was dead," the distraught woman said.
"When they were taking the body out of the van, they removed the sheet and that was when I saw him. I feel like I am still dreaming. All of this is like a dream and the reality may hit me Tuesday when I am all alone," she added.
She said Singh was never ill, but he sometimes complained about mild headaches.
Shivnarine's mother, Zeeta Boban, also said she was trying to be strong for her family.
"I don't know how we will deal with this but I am trying my best," Zeeta said.
Shivnarine's funeral is expected to take place today.
A witness said an excavator was parked near a mound of dirt, six metres high, when Manbodh went to pour water into the radiator of the equipment. The dirt loosened and buried the teenager, killing him instantly.