Bodies of Indian family found frozen near U.S.-Canada border won't be flown back home

The bodies of a family of four found frozen in a Manitoba field near the Canada-U.S. border last week will not be flown back to their home in India, a relative says.

On Thursday, officials confirmed the identities of husband and wife, Jagdish Baldevbhai Patel, 39, and Vaishaliben Jagdishkumar Patel, 37, and their children,Vihangi Jagdishkumar Patel, 11, and three-year-old Dharmik Jagdishkumar Patel, following autopsies that showed the family died of exposure to extreme weather conditions.

"This sad incident has happened in our house and the entire family is mourning," Jagdish's cousin, Jaswant Patel, said in a statement.

"No one is ready to speak [about] anything or they are also not in a condition to speak. The bodies will not be brought here and the last rites will be performed in Canada."

It's believed the family was part of a group trying to walk across the international border into the U.S., but got separated from the rest during a blizzard and froze to death near the Manitoba town of Emerson on Jan. 19. 

Shortly before the family's bodies were discovered, U.S. officials had detained seven other Indian nationals on the American side of the border.

The update from the family came at a funeral held Thursday, said Vaibhav Jha, a local journalist who was outside their house in the village of Dingucha during the service.

All day, men wearing white and women in black saris — formal funeral attire in India — flocked in from nearby villages to pay their respects to the grandfather who has now lost his son, daughter-in-law and two grandchildren, he said.

"He will not speak with the press. He did not even speak to the families and relatives. He has confined himself to the house," said Jha, a senior correspondent with the Indian Express newspaper in Gujarat.

"The news was devastating for them."

WATCH | Bodies of family found near border won't be sent back to India:

The victims had left their ancestral home this month after they incurred severe financial losses while operating a small retail shop and were unable to make ends meet from their farm income.

"The couple felt they were struggling to run their home and the kids needed better education … they decided to leave India because they failed to find a good job here," said Sanjay Patel, a cousin of the victim who lives in Dingucha, home to more than 1,200 families.

Jha said both Jagdish and Vaishaliben used to be teachers, and more recently the father worked in the garment industry.