The speedy household of 41-year-old Karanjot Singh Sodhi was in Delta, B.C., on Saturday for his funeral following a deadly Christmas Eve bus crash east of Merritt, B.C.
His mom, spouse and two younger kids travelled from India to attend the tearful memorial, arriving in Canada on Wednesday, the eleventh anniversary of his marriage to Navjeet Kaur Sodhi.
“How can they deal with this?” Kalwinder Singh, Sodhi’s cousin, stated on the funeral, which was held on the Riverside Funeral Residence, with a prayer service following on the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey.
Navjeet Kaur Sodhi didn’t communicate with CBC Information. She sat on the funeral grim-faced and crying as she held her two kids, a seven-year-old boy and three-year-old lady.
Earlier within the week she gave an emotional sit-down interview to Omni Information in Punjabi.
<a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/Kelowna?src=hash&ref_src=twsrcpercent5Etfw”>#Kelowna</a> Bus Crash Sufferer Karanjot’s household reached Canada from India to attend his final rites. Navjeet Sodhi explains in unique intv <a href=”https://twitter.com/OMNIpunjabi?ref_src=twsrcpercent5Etfw”>@OmniPunjabi</a> how onerous for her to see a lifeless physique of her beloved husband on day of eleventh marriage anniversary. <a href=”https://twitter.com/PrabhjotKahlon?ref_src=twsrcpercent5Etfw”>@PrabhjotKahlon</a> stories <a href=”https://t.co/gGG7s89zCb”>pic.twitter.com/gGG7s89zCb</a>
—@OMNIpunjabi
Karanjot Singh Sodhi was one in every of 4 individuals who died after a passenger bus crashed on Freeway 97C, additionally referred to as the Okanagan Connector.
The bus, travelling from Kelowna to Vancouver, went off the highway and rolled close to the Loon Lake exit about 330 kilometres east of Vancouver within the Southern Inside.
Dozens of individuals have been despatched to hospital because of the crash.
Sodhi, who was from the town of Amritsar in Punjab, India, got here to Canada within the fall of 2022 after spending time in Australia.
One other of his cousins, Sanjit Singh, stated on the memorial that Sodhi had large hopes for his life and his household.
“Life is stuffed with goals. He had so many goals,” stated Singh.
Sodhi had been working at a vineyard in Oliver, B.C., and his work colleagues, who drove to Delta on Saturday to attend his funeral, stated he was at all times upbeat, smiling and radiating constructive vitality.
Haward Collince Michael Samy stated when Sodhi arrived in Oliver, he marvelled at having the ability to see and contact snow.
Monetary difficulties for household
His cousin Kalwinder Singh stated Sodhi was the only real wage-earner for his household, and his demise leaves them in monetary issue.
“The spouse and children now face a giant downside,” he stated. “They didn’t know learn how to deal with the scenario.”
Family and friends have been elevating cash for the household, and there may be hope an insurance coverage declare and probably court docket motion involving the bus firm — Alberta-based Ebus — will assist compensate them financially for the lack of Sodhi.
Police suspect icy roads have been the reason for the crash and proceed to research.