A mother and baby died at a popular swimming spot on Comox Lake on Thursday afternoon after being hit by a falling tree.
Stephane Dionne, deputy chief of the Cumberland Fire Department, said he was one of the first responders on the scene, and found a bystander performing CPR on the 26-year-old woman and her five-month-old child.
Dionne said three ambulances arrived, and the mother was pronounced dead at the scene. The infant was taken to hospital but died shortly after.
He said the mother and child were found on the beach at the Village of Cumberland municipal park and campground, just off the main beach area.
A trauma counsellor with WorkBC has been sent to debrief the incident with first responders, said Dionne, adding that a summer employee was the first to find the mother and child.
“They did a fantastic job,” he said, noting that they called 911 and stayed at the scene.
In a statement on Facebook, the Lake Park Society, which operates the park, offered “our deepest care, love, and compassion” to the family and those involved in the response.
Comox Valley RCMP said it’s working with the B.C. Coroners Service to investigate the deaths.
“We extend our deepest condolences to all those affected and thank the bystanders who stepped in to help under heartbreaking circumstances,” they said.
