The Indian government on Saturday said it was in touch with US and Canadian authorities to ascertain the details of the tragedy in which four Indians died because of exposure to cold and that it has sought consular access to several other Indian nationals who have been detained by US for human trafficking.
Official sources said that on January 19, US authorities in Minnesota near the US-Canada border came across a group of people who were apparently without proper documentation. Based on information obtained from them, they added, Canadian authorities launched a search and found four bodies in Manitoba province on the Canadian side. “These four people (a man, a woman, a teenage boy, an infant) appeared to have died due to the cold,” said an official
“The people without proper documentation on the US side, as well as the dead people on the Canadian side, appear to be Indian nationals. However, efforts are under way to identify them… Post-mortem of the victims is likely to be carried out on January 24,” he said. Official sources confirmed US authorities had detained seven people without proper documentation, as well as one US citizen, for allegedly being involved in human smuggling from Canada to the US.
The Indian consulate in Chicago has also sent a team to Minneapolis, which is coordinating and rendering consular assistance. “They have sought consular access to the detained persons. The consulate and the embassy in Washington DC are also in touch with US department of justice, and the US customs and border police,” said an official.
Official sources said that on January 19, US authorities in Minnesota near the US-Canada border came across a group of people who were apparently without proper documentation. Based on information obtained from them, they added, Canadian authorities launched a search and found four bodies in Manitoba province on the Canadian side. “These four people (a man, a woman, a teenage boy, an infant) appeared to have died due to the cold,” said an official
“The people without proper documentation on the US side, as well as the dead people on the Canadian side, appear to be Indian nationals. However, efforts are under way to identify them… Post-mortem of the victims is likely to be carried out on January 24,” he said. Official sources confirmed US authorities had detained seven people without proper documentation, as well as one US citizen, for allegedly being involved in human smuggling from Canada to the US.
The Indian consulate in Chicago has also sent a team to Minneapolis, which is coordinating and rendering consular assistance. “They have sought consular access to the detained persons. The consulate and the embassy in Washington DC are also in touch with US department of justice, and the US customs and border police,” said an official.
