A 26-year-old mother and her five-month-old child have died after a tree fell on them at a popular Vancouver Island campground on Thursday.
The tragedy happened shortly before 2 p.m. at the Cumberland Lake Park Campground on Comox Lake, just outside of Cumberland.
“A tree fell on two people on the beach, one woman and one infant,” Deputy Cumberland Fire Chief Stephane Dionne told Global News on Thursday.
“When we arrived on scene, the pedestrian was doing CPR on the patient and the infant, and we worked, we assisted them until B.C. Ambulance arrived.”
On Friday, Comox Lake RCMP said the mother died at the scene, while the infant — who had been rushed to hospital in critical condition — did not survive.
Police said they were working with the BC Coroners Service to determine the exact circumstances around the deaths. They do not believe there was any criminality involved.
Mounties offered their appreciation and condolences to bystanders who leapt in to try and help “under heartbreaking circumstances.”