Maduni Chathurda and her husband, Jayanga (L), and Utsukta Adhikari in photos shared on their respective fundraisers. (Image Credit Contributed/GoFundMe)

By Victor Kaisar, CFJC Today

Victims in fatal crash identified

Fundraisers ID two people killed in Friday’s wrong-way crash on the Coquihalla Highway

Sep 8, 2025 | 6:21 AM

COQUIHALLA HIGHWAY — The two people who were killed in a head-on collision that involved a vehicle driving the wrong way on the Coquihalla near Kamloops have been identified in a pair of online fundraisers.

A fundraiser by the Shiv Shakti Temple Kamloops has identified one of the victims as Utsukta Adhikari, a recent graduate of Thompson Rivers University.

It notes the Nepalese community in Kamloops is “devastated and heart-broken” after the collision which happened in the northbound lanes of the Coquihalla near the Inks Lake turnoff around 9 p.m. Friday (Sept. 5) night.

“Utsukta Adhikari was a bright student and humble human-being who [was] looking forward to flourish her better life in Canada,” the online fundraiser said. “May her departed soul rest in peace. She will be always in our memories.”

Organizers are hoping to raise $28,000 to send Adhikari’s body back to her native Nepal. Money will also be used to support Bikash Bhandary, who was injured.

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“Bikash Bhandary is a dynamic community member, a master’s degree holder in Sanskrit and working as a Pandit [a priest] in our local temple here in Kamloops,” the fundraiser added. “We pray for his speedy recovery from the injuries and trauma.”

Another fundraiser has identified the other victim as Maduni Chathurda, who was from Sri Lanka. It’s seeking to raise $60,000 to support her husband and the couple’s seven-year-old son.

“I am shocked by this unexpected tragic incident,” Madhuni’s husband and fundraiser organizer Jayanga Wijesuriya said. “I am in a helpless state and I badly need some money to face the oncoming circumstances.”