Ottawa, Oct 23: A 19-year-old Sikh woman was found dead inside a walk-in oven of the Walmart store's bakery department in Canada's Halifax city, according to media reports.

Halifax Regional Police (HRP) said they were called to a sudden death at the Walmart at 6990 Mumford Road around 9:30 pm on Saturday.

According to police, the woman, who has not been identified, was employed at the store.

Her body was found in a walk-in oven, police said.

The Maritime Sikh Society confirmed to CTV News that she was a member of their community.

“It’s very sad for us, for her family as well, because she came for a better future and she lost her life,” said Anmolpreet Singh, with the Maritime Sikh Society.

She had recently moved to Canada from India, The Globe and Mail newspaper said.

The store has remained closed since Saturday night while the investigation is ongoing.

HRP Constable Martin Cromwell said police were aware of online speculation about the woman’s cause of death.

“The investigation is complex,” said Cromwell.

“We understand the public is involved, and we just wanted to encourage the public to be patient with our investigation and be mindful that there are family members and coworkers involved.”

Cromwell said Halifax police were coordinating with the appropriate agencies to help with the investigation.

“We urge the public to be mindful of sharing speculative information on social media,” HRP said in a statement on Tuesday.

A spokeswoman for the province’s labour department said a stop-work order has been issued for the bakery and “one piece of equipment” at the Walmart store.

“It is important to note that the investigation has not yet reached a point where the cause and manner of death have been confirmed,” HRP said.

Nova Scotia’s medical examiner is working to determine the cause of death, and the province’s Department of Health and Safety is taking part in the investigation.

Walk-in ovens, also referred to as cabinet or batch ovens, allow for curing, drying or baking in batches using wheeled racks or carts. They are often found in large-volume bakeries in places such as supermarkets.

In a statement, Walmart Canada said the company is heartbroken and their thoughts are with the woman’s family.

Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.



New Delhi: The Congress party has appointed 43 AICC observers to oversee the selection process of District Congress Committee (DCC) presidents. Among the appointed observers are four leaders from Karnataka — B.K. Hariprasad, B.M. Sandeep, Suraj Hegde, and B.V. Srinivas.

In line with a resolution passed at the recent AICC session, the Congress will begin restructuring its district committees starting April 15. For this purpose, the party on Saturday appointed 43 AICC observers and 183 PCC observers, with B.K. Hariprasad designated as one of the senior observers in Gujarat.

This marks the first time the Congress party is appointing observers specifically for the process of selecting district presidents.