Over ₹1 crore raised for family of Gursimran Kaur, Walmart worker who died trapped in oven

Over ₹1 crore has been raised for the family of Gursimran Kaur, the 19-year-old Walmart employee who died trapped in a walk-in oven

Over ₹1 crore has been raised for the family of Gursimran Kaur, the 19-year-old Walmart employee who died trapped in a walk-in oven at one of the supermarket chain’s outlets in Canada. The Indian-origin teenager’s charred remains were found inside the Walmart oven on Saturday evening.

A photo of 19-year-old Gursimran Kaur, posted on an online fundraiser (Maritime Sikh Society/GoFundMe)

Gursimran Kaur and her mother both worked at a Walmart in Halifax, Canada. On Saturday, when Kaur’s mother did not see her on the floor for over an hour, she began to search for the teenager.

A fundraiser organised by the Maritime Sikh Society revealed that Gursimran’s mother asked several colleagues about her whereabouts “but everyone brushed aside thinking that she may be somewhere helping a customer.”

Repeated attempts to contact Gursimran over the phone yielded no results. Her phone was not reachable. “Mother started panicking as it was unusual for her to switch her phone off during the day,” the fundraiser read.

Gursimran’s mother opened the walk-in oven when someone pointed out the “leakage” spewing from it, The Sun reported.

Money raised for family in India

“This family's sufferings are unimaginable and indescribable. They need your support to get through this horrific time,” read the fundraiser.

Gursimran Kaur and her mother, originally from Ludhiana, had moved to Canada from the United Kingdom three years ago. They started working at the Walmart supermarket around two years ago.

Her father and brother are still in India. It is believed that part of the funds will be used to bring them to Canada.

It is not clear how the 19-year-old became trapped in the commercial oven as it cannot be locked from the outside. The Walmart outlet is currently closed for customers.