Amrinder Kaur moved from her family home in a remote village near Patiala to a land of unknowns nine years ago. She made the 3,000km trip to Tbilisi, the capital of Georgiain 2015, and toiled at a restaurant in the Gudauri ski resort, chipping away at the barriers that stood in the way of hopes for a better future.
Those dreams were snuffed on a bitterly cold Saturday morning. Kaur (32) was among 11 Indian nationals, 10 of whom were from Punjabwho died of carbon monoxide poisoning at the Haveli restaurant in Gudauri. The deaths stunned the state and foregrounded the struggles of people from India who travelled abroad in search of stability.
“She was planning her first visit since she moved to Georgia in 2015. She was very happy and was buying gifts from everyone,” said Sukhwinder Singh, Kaur’s 42-year-old cousin.
The other victims were identified as Ravinder Kumar (45) from Jalandhar, Sameer Kumar (26) from Khanna, Harwinder Singh (27) from Talwandi Sabo, Varinder Singh (33) from Patiala, Sandeep Singh (34) from Tarn Taran, Ravinder Singh (34) and Ravinder Singh (29), both from Sangrur, Maninder Kaur (32) from Mansa and Gagandeep Singh (24) from Moga. The identity of the 11th Indian victim is yet to be confirmed.
A Georgian national also died in the incident. All of them were employees of the restaurant, inside a ski resort. A preliminary investigation found that the carbon monoxide allegedly leaked from a power source, likely a generator, placed in a closed space near the bedrooms.
“The Indian embassy in Georgia is in touch with the families and is working with local authorities to repatriate the mortal remains at the earliest,” officials in the ministry of external affairs said on Tuesday.
As the news trickled in, familiar tales bound families across the agrarian state – of loss, longing and shattered dreams. Many of the victims hadn’t returned to their families in years.
Sameer Kumar, of Bilaan Wali Chhappri in Khanna district, was to celebrate his birthday on Saturday. He would have turned 27.
As he did every night, Sameer called his mother Santosh Kumari, before going to bed.
Now, all they want is for his body to be brought back so that they can lay him to rest.
“We are shattered. We don’t know how to bring my brother’s body back to India. We feel completely abandoned,” said Gurdeep Kumar, his brother.
Ravinder Kumar, from Kot Ramdass in Jalandharis survived by his wife, Kumari Kanchan, two daughters, and a son. Ravinder only ever saw his seven-year-old son on video calls.
Kanchan said she was pregnant when he shifted to Georgia after a three-year stint in Dubai.
“He had not visited Punjab even once since then. He worked in the restaurant as a billing accountant. My husband made a video call on Friday (December 13) and said that the electricity in the area had been snapped due to a snow storm,” she added.
Kanchan said her husband called later to say he had come back to his bedroom along with fellow employees.
“He told us that a generator was put in place. We didn’t speak to him after that,” said the 39-year-old.
The family was informed about his death the next morning.
Gagandeep Singh, of Ghal Kalan Village in Moga district, made a last call to his father, Gurmukh Singh, on Thursday.
“He showed me snow around the area when we last spoke. He used to call me every three or four days. But he did not call after December 12,” said Gurmukh Singh.
“My wife passed away a few years ago and my younger son died last year. Now Gagandeep is gone as well. I have been left alone in this world now,” he said.
His grandfather, Basant Singh, said Gagandeep moved to Georgia four months ago with the hopes of pulling his family out of economic doldrums.
Simarjit Singh, a resident of the village, said, “The family took a loan of ₹4 lakh to send him abroad. They don’t have money to bring back his body.”
Anumeet Kaur (32) wanted to move from her home in Samana town of Patiala district to Georgia. Her husband, Varinder Singh, moved there last year, she said, and the wheels for the shift were in motion.
“He did not visit India after he moved. We used to speak every day. We spoke for two hours just before the tragedy took place on Friday. He informed me that there was a rush in the restaurant, and would call back. But he never did,” said Kaur.
Varinder is survived by his wife, a five-year-old daughter, and father.
