All 11 Indians who died in Georgia gas leak identified

All 11 Indian nationalists who tragically died from suspected carbon monoxide poisoning in Georgia have been identified from Punjab. The two remaining deceased, Harwinder Singh and Pritam Lal, were identified today, confirming that all the victims were from the state.

The fatalities include Sameer Kumar from Khanna, Gagandeep Singh from Moga, Amarinder Kaur from Rajpura, Maninder Kaur from Mansa, Ravinder Singh and his wife Gurwinder Kaur from Sunam, Ravinder Kala from Jalandhar, Sandeep from Tarn Taran and Varinder Singh from Samana, and the newly identified Harwinder Singh and Pritam Lal.

The victims were employees of an Indian restaurant, ‘Haveli’, located in Georgia, a popular ski resort in the Caucasus Mountains on the Georgia-Russia border. The Georgian authorities are also investigating whether any of the deceased were working at the restaurant on tourist visas.

According to the statement by Georgia’s Interior Ministry on December 14, the tragedy occurred in the resting area of the second floor of the restaurant. Preliminary investigations revealed that a power generator, placed in a closed indoor space near bedrooms, was turned on after a power outage. No sign of violence or injuries were found on the bodies.

The Indian Embassy in Georgia is coordinating the formalities, including the post-mortem examinations, and is working to repatriate the bodies. The process of transporting the deceased back to India is expected to begin out in phases after receiving the clearance from Georgian authorities.