An up-and-coming folk singer has died after being attacked by coyotes in a national park in eastern Canada.

Taylor Mitchell, a 19-year-old Toronto singer-songwriter, was hiking alone in the Cape Breton Highlands national park, Nova Scotia, on Tuesday when the attack occurred.

Brigdit Leger, a Royal Canadian Mounted police spokeswoman, said other hikers heard Mitchell's screams and called for help. "The coyotes were extremely aggressive," Leger told the Toronto Star.

Officers reached the scene quickly and shot one of the animals, but Mitchell had suffered multiple bite wounds, the emergency health services said. She was airlifted to a Halifax hospital in a critical condition and died yesterday.

Bob Bancroft, a retired biologist with the Nova Scotia department of natural resources, said coyote attacks were rare because the animals were usually shy. "It's very unusual and is not likely to be repeated," he said.

Officials blocked the entrance to the trail where Mitchell was attacked and hung signs in English and French warning of coyotes. Park rangers were looking out for the animals to determine what had prompted such an unusual attack. The last known coyote attack in the park was in 2003, when a teenager was bitten.

"There have been some reports of aggressive animals, so it's not unknown," said Helene Robichaud, the park's superintendent. "But we certainly never have had anything so dramatic and tragic."

Mitchell had just earned her driving licence and embarked on a tour of the east coast to promote her new album. On her MySpace page, Mitchell said her influences were "constantly evolving" but included Van Morrison, the Eagles and Neil Young.

Her manager, Lisa Weitz, described Mitchell, who was nominated for a 2009 Canadian folk music award in the young performer of the year category, as a "sweet, compassionate, vibrant, and phenomenally talented young woman". She added: "She was just exhilarated to be on the road and performing. We are all devastated."

• This article was amended on 30 October 2009. The original misnamed the location as Breton Highlands national park. This has been corrected.