An international student died after an being impaled by a tree on James Lake Forest Service Road, east of Kelowna.
The RCMP have confirmed to Black Press that the incident which claimed the life of 22-year old student Rittika Rajput, took place shortly before 3:00 a.m. on Dec. 7.
Family-friend Amarjit Lalli said that Rajput and her friends were having a bonfire in the forest near the James Lake Recreation Area when a windstorm suddenly blew in.
The wind caused a large tree to snap at it's base. The large pine tree then crashed down onto the picnic bench area where the friend group was sitting. While her friends were able to escape, Rajput got caught in the branches of the tree.
"You just never think something like this would happen."
In disbelief after hearing the news of Rajput's death, Lalli drove up to the James Lake Recreation Area to see the scene for himself.
An image of the scene taken by Lallii shows the picnic bench where the group of friends were sitting completely destroyed by the tree.
"They were just having a bonfire and enjoying the back country... It's a Canadian thing."
Police are considering the incident to be non-suspicious.
The Kelowna-based Central Okanagan Search and Rescue (COSAR) team were dispatched to the incident at approximately 3:15 a.m.t o assist the BC Ambulance Service, said Ed Henzel, search manager for COSAR, but were stood down while en-route.
Lalli said that Rajput's parents are devastated by the unexpected death of their only daughter.
"They're taking it really hard," said Lalli.
To help the family find closure, and to allow them the opportunity to conduct a proper funeral, a to raise funds to transport Rajput's body back to India.
"This unforeseen accident has left Rittika91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ™s parents shattered and struggling to cope with this devastating loss," said Heer on the fundraiser page.
Rajput's family does not have the money to bring her body back to the Punjab region of India and have been working night and day to make her dreams of attending college a reality.
Heer said that her family had taken out thousands of dollars of debt to send her to school in Canada and have been working "day and night" to "make their ends meet."
Rajput's mother, father and brother are in disbelief, said Lalli. He said that her body needs to be returned to her family for closure and for the family to properly honour their beloved Rittika.
Donations can be made at
