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Family members of Indian migrants who died at border in Winnipeg for funeral

Jagdish Patel (left to right), son Dharmik, wife Vaishaliben Patel and daughter Vihangi Patel are shown in a handout photo. A small funeral was held in Winnipeg on the weekend for the four migrants from India who died while trying to cross into the United States by foot during treacherous winter conditions in southern Manitoba. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Amritbhai Vakil **MANDATORY CREDIT**

A small funeral was held over the weekend in Winnipeg for a family of four from India who died while trying to cross the United States border.

Nearly a dozen family members from the U.S. and India traveled to Winnipeg to take part in the two-hour ceremony at a local funeral home on Sunday.

RCMP found the bodies of the man, his wife, and their two children in the snow on January 19th, just metres from the border. Autopsies show they froze to death.

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READ MORE: Identities confirmed in deaths of family of 4 on Manitoba-U.S. border

Police have said they believe the four were part of a large human smuggling operation.

A man in the U.S. has been arrested and charged with human smuggling.

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Bhadresh Bhatt was one of four people in Winnipeg who was asked to attend the funeral on behalf of Manitoba’s Indian community.

He says the service was conducted by a local Hindu priest and live streamed for relatives who were not able to travel.

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