Nikhil Bhardwaj
Ludhiana, 17 December
A youth from Punjab’s Khanna is among the 11 Indian nationals who died of suffocation in an Indian restaurant ‘Haveli’ in the ski resort of Gudauri, Georgia. He has been identified as Sameer Kumar (26). As soon as the news of his death came, a wave of grief ran through the family. It is suspected that they died due to carbon monoxide poisoning.
Sameer’s brother Gurdeep Kumar, a resident of Billawali Chapari in Khanna, said that Sameer’s birthday was on December 14. Before the incident, Sameer had spoken to her and her mother on the phone.
He said, “He (Samir) went to Georgia a few months ago and worked in a restaurant. Sameer talked to all the family members including our mother Santosh Kumari on video call around 1 pm. When we tried to call him again, no one picked up the phone. We found the number of the restaurant and called. The owner told us that 12 people, including Sameer, who were sleeping in the building, died due to the gas rising.” He said, “Perhaps the electricity generator kept near the bedroom in the house would have started after the power failure. Carbon monoxide poisoning is suspected as there are no signs of injuries or violence on the bodies.” Gurdeep alleged that despite contacting the Indian Embassy in Georgia to bring back Sameer’s body, they did not get any help. The family has appealed for help from both the Center and the Punjab government to bring back Sameer’s body.