Gursimran Kaur, 19, was found inside one of Walmart’s industrial walk-in ovens by her own mother, who also worked at the supermarket in Halifax, Nova Scotia in Canada
The supermarket where a teenage worker was found inside an industrial walk-in oven has re-opened three months after her death.
Bakery worker Gursimran Kaur was found by her own mother, who also worked at the Canadian Walmart store, after she realised she hadn’t seen her 19-year-old daughter on the shop floor for more than an hour. The mum, who was one of 325 staff at the supermarket, discovered her daughter’s charred remains and raised the alarm on October 19.
Now, just three months on, the shop in Halifax, Nova Scotia is reopening. Police ruled out foul play back in November, but the supermarket remained closed while the walk-in oven was removed from the store. It will not be replaced.
Speaking to the Canadian equivalent of the BBC, Walmart Canada’s corporate affairs manager Nick Ritcey said: “It’s great to have our customers and our associates back in the store. Obviously the tragedy is still top of mind and it’s something that will be sad forever. Three months is still very recent for that magnitude of a tragedy. We’ll continue to be in contact [with the family] and make sure that we work out the best situation possible with them.”
Ms Kaur had emigrated from India with her mother three years ago, and had worked at the store since arriving in Canada.
Following her death, a series of TikTok videos have been circulating online showing Walmart employees demonstrating stepping inside other Walmart ovens and using the emergency release from inside. One said: “This door does not close by itself… It doesn’t latch. It’s designed not to do that. You have to push it, hear the click,” one employee said in a video.
Walmart spokesperson Amanda Moss told the National Post: “This is an extremely sad and difficult situation. Removing the oven had always been part of the standard remodel program we are implementing across the country. Now that the stop-work order has been lifted by the Department of Labor, the oven will be removed from this store and will no longer be used.”