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Single mother Renuka Amarasingha killed in Toronto van attack

The coroner is not releasing the names of the victims in the Toronto van attack, to ensure everyone is identified correctly. But as Jamie Mauracher reports, some families are going public about their loss and the lives cut short – Apr 25, 2018

EDITOR’S NOTE: The spelling of the victim’s last name has been updated.

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Renuka Amarasingha, a single mother, has been confirmed as a victim of Monday’s deadly van attack.

READ MORE: These are the victims of the Toronto van attack

The Toronto District School Board (TDSB) employee was killed in the Yonge Street rampage that left 10 dead and 14 injured, school board trustee Tiffany Ford said in a Facebook post.

“It was just confirmed that one of our TDSB staff members was killed on Monday in the tragic event. Ms. Renuka Amarasingha, a single mom from Sri Lanka,” Ford’s post states.

“May she rest in peace. My condolences to her son, family, and colleagues. She was part of our TDSB family.”

A statement from the school board added that Amarasingha worked as a nutrition services staff member at Earl Haig Secondary School. She was also a former adult student of TDSB.

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“This is a difficult time for the students and staff that knew her and we will continue to provide support to them in the days and weeks ahead,” the board’s chair, Robin Pilkey, said.

WATCH: ‘I’m angry’ — Friend of Toronto van attack victim Chul Min Kang speaks

Asoka Pinnaduwage, who works with the Toronto Maha Vihara Buddhist Meditation Centre, told Global News that Amarasingha was a single mother to a young son.

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“I used to know her and her son,” Pinnaduwage said. “She comes every Sunday. She has no other relative in Canada, other than her ex-husband.”

WATCH: Overcoming tragedy in Toronto after van attack

A GoFundMe page has been set up by the meditation centre, Pinnaduwage explained, all the funds will eventually go to the woman’s son.

The fundraiser, launched Wednesday morning, had topped $48,000 by the afternoon.

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READ MORE: Chul Min ‘Eddie’ Kang among those killed in deadly rampage

Amarasingha was also mourned by union CUPE 4400, who described her as a “well-loved member of the Scarborough community,” in a press release.

“Times of difficulty like this, remind us all of the importance of our solidarity and our support for one another in the large, extended family that is our union,” the release read.

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