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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

Updated on: Oct 26, 2024, 07:00:36 IST
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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)
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

A GoFundMe organised by the Maritime Sikh Society for Kaur’s family has more than doubled its intended target of CAD 50,000. A total of $194,309 CAD has been raised for the family of Gursimran Kaur in India (more than 1.1 crore).

“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.

  • Sanya Jain
    ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    Sanya Jain

    Sanya Jain is an Assistant Editor with Hindustan Times Digital. She has nearly a decade of experience in covering offbeat stories that speak to the everyday experience -- from viral videos to human interest copies that spark a conversation. Her interests stretch across business, pop culture, social media trends, entertainment and global affairs. Before joining Hindustan Times, Sanya spent two years with Moneycontrol and five years with NDTV. She holds an undergraduate degree in English literature from St Stephen’s College, Delhi, and a master’s in journalism from the Xavier Institute of Communications, Mumbai. Sanya has a sharp eye for spotting emerging trends and finding newsworthy angles in viral content. She writes about a wide range of topics, from business leaders and social issues to everyday people and internet trends. She enjoys speaking to content creators, newsmakers and entrepreneurs and turning their experiences and stories into engaging, relatable articles.Read More