Funeral for Gujarati family who died near Canada-U.S. border held in Winnipeg

Funeral ceremonies have been held in Winnipeg and India for the Gujarati family found frozen metres away from the Canada-U.S. border last month.

It's been nearly three weeks since the bodies of a family from Dingucha village in India were discovered in what RCMP say was an attempt to illegally cross into the United States.

In Winnipeg, a small group gathered at a local funeral home Sunday to witness final rites for Jagdish Patel, 39, his wife Vaishali Patel, 37, their 11-year old daughter Vihangi Patel and 3-year-old son Dharmik Patel. 

"It's the saddest funeral I have ever been at," said Bhadresh Bhatt, past president of the Hindu Society of Manitoba.

"It was shocking, a family of four being cremated at the same time because of this tragic situation that took place."

Bhatt was one of only three Winnipeggers at the traditional Hindu service. Eleven family members flew in from India and the U.S., he said.

The two-hour ceremony was live streamed so family and friends could watch, Bhatt said. 

The open caskets were adorned with red and white flowers. Vihangi lay beside a white stuffed unicorn. A Paw Patrol toy in Dharmik's coffin was a poignant reminder of how young he was.

Mourners filed past the caskets to pay their final respects.

The funeral costs have been covered by an online fundraising campaign that has raised more than $80,000 U.S. Any additional funds will be given to their family members in India, according to a post on GoFundMe.

Meanwhile, more than 100 members of their extended family and community attended a ceremony in their village temple Monday morning, said Vaibhav Jha, a senior reporter for The Indian Express newspaper.

"They shared condolence messages to the family members, and they shared the grief because the entire village realized this was a personal loss for them," Jha said.

"People have always aspired to move toward a system of the U.S. or Canada or U.K. for a better life. And this is the first time that they have had such a cruel incident where a family of four died in such a tragic manner."

This was Jha's third visit to Dingucha. On previous visits, he found half the houses were locked and empty because their owners had moved to the U.S., United Kingdom or Canada.