Jaishankar dials envoys in US & Canada after 4 Indians freeze to death

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday expressed shock after a family of four Indian nationals including an infant froze to death along the USCanada border in what authorities believe was a failed crossing attempt during a freezing blizzard and instructed the Indian ambassadors in the US and Canada to urgently respond to the situationThe Manitoba Royal Canadian Mounted Police RCMP on Thursday said that the bodies of four people two adults a teen and an infant were found on the Canadian side of the USCanada border near Emerson on WednesdayShocked by the report that 4 Indian nationals including an infant have lost their lives at the CanadaUS border Have asked our Ambassadors in the US and Canada to urgently respond to the situation Jaishankar tweetedJaishankar spoke to Indias Ambassador to the US Taranjit Singh Sandhu and Indias High Commissioner in Canada Ajay BisariaAmbassador Sandhu said it was an unfortunate and tragic incidentWe are in touch with US authorities on their ongoing investigation A consular team from IndiainChicago is travelling today to Minnesota to coordinate and provide any assistance required he tweetedIndias High Commissioner in Canada Bisaria said it was a grave tragedy An Indian consular team is travelling today from IndiainToronto to Manitoba to coordinate and help he tweetedWe will work with Canadian authorities to investigate these disturbing events he wroteAccording to court documents US Border Patrol USBP officials in North Dakota stopped a 15passenger van just south of the Canadian border on WednesdayThe US Attorneys Office for the District of Minnesota issued a release late Thursday afternoon and said the driver was identified as 47yearold Steve Shand of Florida who had been arrested and charged with human smuggling in connection with the incidentLaw enforcement officials have also determined that there were two undocumented Indian nationals the Department of Justice saidThe court documents said that law enforcement officials discovered cases of plastic cups bottled water bottled juice and snacks located in the extreme rear of the passenger vanThey also discovered receipts dated January 18 2022 for the drinks and snacks and rental agreement receipts in Shands name for the van with the return date listed for January 20 2022As they were taking the trio back to the border patrol station in North Dakota officers came across another group of five Indian nationals walkingThey told them that they had walked across the border and expected to be picked up by someoneThe group said they estimated they had been walking for more than 11 hours and they appeared to be headed to an unstaffed gas plant located in St Vincent MinnesotaOne of the group members was carrying a backpack that did not belong to himHe told authorities that he was carrying the backpack for a family of four Indian nationals that had earlier walked with his group but got separated at nightThe backpack contained childrens clothes a diaper toys and some childrens medicationAccording to court documents on January 19 the USBP received a report from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police that four bodies were found frozen just inside the Canadian side of the international borderThe dead bodies were tentatively identified as the family of four that got separatedTwo of the surviving Indian nationals sustained serious injuries and were transported to a hospitalShand is charged with one count of knowing or in reckless disregard of the fact that a foreign national had come to entered or remained in the United States in violation of law having transported and moved or having attempted to transport such nationalsHe made his first appearance today before the US District Court Magistrate Judge Hildy BowbeerShand was ordered to remain in custody pending a preliminary inquiry and detention hearing currently scheduled for January 24This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever