A day of yard work for an Indian couple in New Zealand turned tragic when a falling tree branch killed Paradeep Singh, leaving his new wife without a home, income or support system in New Zealand.Singh was known as “Deep” to friends and family. He died this week while doing maintenance work at his home in Cambridge, Waikato. He was working outside with others on his day off when the fatal accident occurred.According to eyewitnesses, Singh sustained serious head injuries while helping to prune tree branches. Friends believe he may have been struck after a tree branch ricocheted off the tree, or by equipment used during his work.A spokesman for the couple’s friends and family told 1News: “A tree branch hit him on the left side of his head and there must have been some internal damage.”People nearby heard his cries and rushed to help.“Paradeep shouted and everyone immediately ran to him and called emergency services,” the spokesman said.Police said officers were called to the property about 3:15 p.m. to assist emergency crews. St. John’s later confirmed it dispatched a rapid response team and an operations manager to the scene, but Singh was pronounced dead there. The case has now been referred to the coroner.Singh moved to New Zealand in 2023 and worked as an operations manager for a horticulture business. Friends said he was the only earning member of his family and financially supported his elderly parents in India, including his paralyzed mother.His wife, Kamal, recently joined him in New Zealand after getting married about six months ago. Relatives said she had no immediate family in the country and had not yet adjusted to life there.“She was here for him,” a family spokesman said.They added: “She has no source of income, no money and, as far as I understand, she has not even opened a bank account.”Another friend added: “She has no money, no support system and is completely alone.”The couple had planned to apply for New Zealand residency and then return to India to celebrate the wedding with relatives and friends.Friends and members of the local community have now launched a fundraising campaign to help transport Singh’s body back to India for his funeral and to support Kamal in the aftermath of the tragedy.Organizers said: “His family are facing unimaginable grief and are in desperate need of support.”
