A teenage girl whose “charred remains” were found in a Walmart walk-in oven can now be photographed for the first time.
Gursimran Kaur, 19, tragically died Saturday evening at the Halifax superstore where she worked in Nova Scotia.
She was found in an oven in the bakery section of Walmart, where she had worked for two years with her mother, who was working her shift at the time.
Her mother was frantically looking for her in the store at the time, according to a new report GoFundMe to raise money for the family, she was confronted with ‘leakage’ coming from the closed oven.
A family spokesman has since said Gursimran’s relatives are devastated by her tragic death.
“Gursimran’s mother attempted to locate her after seeing nothing for an hour,” the Maritime Sikh Society Executive said in the appeal, which has already raised $46,000.
“She asked around, but everyone waved away, thinking she might be helping a customer somewhere.”
Gursimran Kaur, 19, tragically died Saturday evening at the Halifax superstore where she worked in Nova Scotia
Gursimran’s phone was “unreachable” and then her mother started to panic as it was “unusual for her to turn off her phone during the day.”
According to the community appeal, Gursimran’s charred remains were found after a few hours in the bakery’s walk-in oven.
“Imagine the horror her mother experienced when she opened the oven herself when someone pointed out the ”leak”.”
Gursimran is remembered as a “beautiful girl who came to Canada with big dreams.”
She and her mother arrived in Nova Scotia less than three years ago.
Her father and brother are still in India, and the community is frantically trying to raise money to get them to Canada.
‘The suffering of this family is unimaginable and indescribable. They need your support to get through this horrific time,” the appeal said.
Harjit Seyan, president of the Canadian Maritime Sikh Society, said Global news that his community has been supporting Gursimran’s traumatized family since her death on October 19.
“The immediate family is absolutely shocked,” Seyan said.
‘They are in some kind of trauma. We are truly sorry to hear of such a tragic event.”
Harjit Seyan, president of the Canadian Maritime Sikh Society, told Global News his community is supporting the family of a Walmart worker who died in a walk-in oven
After the tragedy, mourners flocked to the supermarket to lay flowers and pay tribute to the victim and her family.
It comes after Canada’s national broadcaster CBC News said their sources told them the device at the Halifax store “didn’t lock.”
That raises disturbing new questions about the death, with previous reports highlighting a 911 call saying the woman was trapped in the oven.
After the tragedy, mourners flocked to the supermarket, where they laid flowers and paid tribute to the victim and her family.
The young woman had only arrived in Canada within the past three years and had developed close ties with the Maritime Sikh Society.
“It’s quite disturbing because young people come here with hopes and dreams,” board member Satnam Singh Randhawa said earlier.
“They work hard and this is what happens.”
The oven was industrial and large enough for one person to enter.
While the exact brand of the oven involved in the incident has not yet been revealed, other Walmart stores in the United States are known to have installed ovens like the one in the photo.
Singh expects a religious service will be held in Halifax after the woman’s body is released by the medical examiner, who is still determining the official cause of death. An altar is depicted at the victim’s temple
Police told the publication that the young woman had been working on the day of the tragedy. Officers are no longer on scene, but the investigation is ongoing.
The Nova Scotia Department of Labor has since issued a ‘stop work order’ for the bakery itself, as well as one piece of Walmart equipment. They did not specify which device is covered by that order.
Balbir Singh, secretary of the Maritime Sikh Society, said the victim’s mother is also in Canada and is receiving “psychological counselling.”
“Efforts are being made to bring other immediate family members from India,” he said.
Singh expects a religious service will be held in Halifax after Gursimran is released by the medical examiner, who is still determining her official cause of death.
The disturbing audio of the emergency services call has now been released, with details the unfolding tragedy for first responders.
Dispatch said a “woman was trapped in an oven in the bakery.”
‘Oven is on. I’m not sure the staff can turn it off.’
Police told the publication that the young woman had been working on the day of the tragedy. Officers are no longer on scene, but the investigation is ongoing
The teen was working at the Halifax store in Nova Scotia when she became stuck in a walk-in oven at the bakery on Saturday evening.
By the time first responders arrived on scene, they said the woman was “out of the oven.”
She died on the spot.
Martin Cromwell, a police officer in Halifax, described the investigation as “complex.”
He said: ‘We understand that the public is involved, and we just wanted to encourage the public to be patient with our investigation and be mindful that family members and colleagues are involved.’
Walmart Canada said they were “heartbroken and our deepest thoughts are with our associate and their family. We extend our sincere condolences to those closest to them.”
The staff scheduled this week will continue to be paid despite the store closures. The store will remain closed until further notice.
A dispatch officer described the unfolding tragedy to first responders, revealing that a “woman had been locked in an oven in the bakery.”
The statement continued: ‘We are also supporting our employees during this incredibly difficult time and have provided access to 24/7 virtual care and will provide on-site support, including grief counseling.’
Halifax Regional Police said: “On October 19 at approximately 9:30 p.m., police were called to a sudden death at Walmart at 6990 Mumford Road. A 19-year-old woman who worked at the store was found deceased.
“Investigators are working closely with Occupational Health and the Nova Scotia Medical Examiner Service to determine the cause and manner of death.
“The investigation is in its early stages and no further details are available at this time.”