A 23-year-old woman from New Zealand is dead after jumping from a highway bridge in Sicamous early this morning.

At 2 a.m. on Aug. 8, Sicamous RCMP were called to assist a BC Ambulance crew near the Bruhn Bridge, which is the Trans-Canada Highway鈥檚 crossing point over the Sicamous channel that connects Shuswap and Mara lakes. According to an RCMP press release, the woman was in medical distress after jumping from the bridge into the channel.

The woman was one of four people to jump from the bridge, which is approximately 20 metres from the surface of the water. When she did not immediately resurface, other people present helped her to shore.

According to the RCMP release, the woman was transported to a local hospital and then to a larger hospital in the area before she was pronounced dead.

鈥淭ragically this is the second water-related death in Sicamous this summer,鈥� said Sicamous RCMP detachment commander Sgt. Murray McNeil.

鈥淲hile we want to encourage people to get out and enjoy all that the area has to offer, we cannot stress enough the importance of paying attention to advisories and signage which are put in place to ensure your safety.鈥�

Police say their initial investigation does not suggest any criminal activity was involved in the young woman鈥檚 death.

The Coroners Service is now investigating the death. The news release states that no further information, including the woman鈥檚 identity, will be released by either the RCMP or the Coroners Service.

jim.elliot@saobserver.net
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