Found Indian restaurant number online, manager told us about tragic deaths, says family of Georgia victim from Punjab

The 11 Indian nationals who died by carbon monoxide poisoning were employees of an Indian restaurant, ‘Haveli’ at Gudauri in Georgia.

The restaurant, located at Gudauri, was a skiing and paragliding destination in the Caucasus mountains on the Georgia-Russia border.

One of the victim was a Khanna resident Sameer Kumar. He had moved to Georgia around six months ago. The 20-year-old was among the 11 Indian nationals found dead at a restaurant in Georgia's mountain resort of Gudauri.

Sameer Kumar's brother Gurdeep Kumar, who is a resident of Khanna in the Ludhiana district of Punjab, said the family spoke to him last time on his birthday on December 14.

Later, when we could not establish contact with him, we found the restaurant's number online and spoke to the manager who told us about the tragic incident, said Gurdeep Kumar.

His family members have urged the Centre and the Punjab government to take steps to bring back his body.

Ravinder Kala, a resident of Jalandhar, was also among the 11 Indians who died in the incident. His grief-stricken family members said Kala had been in Georgia for the last eight years.

Kala spoke to his family members on Friday and told them that a storm had hit the city. The family came to know about his death on Sunday. Kala is survived by his wife, two daughters and a son.

Arvinder Singh and his wife Gurvinder Kaur, hailing from Sunam, were also among the deceased. One of their relatives said they had gone to Georgia in March this year.

Moga resident Gagandeep Singh, 24, was also among the deceased. He had gone to Georgia four months ago.

"In the resting area on the second floor of the Indian restaurant located in Gudauri, the bodies of 12 people employed in the same facility were found. At the initial inspection, no signs of body injuries or signs of violence were detected. According to the preliminary information of the investigation, a power generator was placed in an indoor area, closed space near the bedrooms, which was turned on yesterday, probably after the power supply was turned off,” says a statement from Georgia's Ministry of Internal Affairs, adding that it implies to “negligent manslaughter".

"In connection with this fact, investigative actions are actively being carried out, forensic-criminalistics are working on the spot, interviews of persons related to the case are being conducted. Appropriate examinations are appointed. A forensic medical examination has also been appointed to determine the exact cause of death," Georgia's Ministry of Internal Affairs said.

With inputs from agencies