The Southland Nepalese community is grieving after a tragic road accident in rural Southland claimed the lives of a mother and her teenage daughter on Tuesday morning.
According to reports, Anita Pathak and her 19-year-old daughter Dikshika Pathak died after two vehicles collided at around 8:40 a.m. at the intersection of Fairfax-Isla Bank Road and Isla Bank-Flints Bush Road. The pair were travelling to their workplace at a blueberry farm when the accident occurred.
Emergency services arrived quickly at the scene, but despite their efforts, both victims were pronounced dead at the site of the crash, Nadine Roberts of Stuff has reported.
On Wednesday, the Southland Nepalese Society shared a message on Facebook mourning the loss and offering condolences to the family.
“It is with great sadness to inform you that our Nepali community member Mrs Anita Pathak and her daughter have tragically passed away in a vehicle accident in Otautau, Southland on 10 March 2026,” the statement said. “We express our deepest condolences to Shri Ramesh Pathak and the entire bereaved family by expressing our heartfelt condolences to the departed soul in this sad moment, as quoted by Stuff.
“The accident has caused huge emotional and financial damage to the family and the family is going through a very difficult situation right now. The Southland Nepalese Society has voluntarily started collecting financial support to the families in this difficult time,” Stuff has quoted.
The victims were employees at Blueberry Country Southland, which also paid tribute to them in a statement, expressing deep sorrow over the incident.
“We are all devastated. They were/are valued members of our ‘locals’ picking crew. On behalf of all our staff we send loving support to the injured and condolences to the whole family at this terrible time,” as quoted by Stuff.
The Southland Times reported that the car was being driven by Dip Pathak, the son and brother of the victims. Dip lost consciousness after the collision and was taken to Southland Hospital with bruises. He was later discharged the same day. Speaking to the newspaper, he said he was too emotional to discuss the loss of his family members, as reported by Stuff.
Following the tragedy, many local residents expressed grief and sympathy on social media. Some also raised concerns about the safety of the intersection where the crash occurred.
“As a resident of Isla Bank I hope the roading company will do something about this dangerous intersection,” one woman said, Stuff has quoted.
The incident has left the community shocked, with many continuing to send messages of support to the grieving family during this difficult time.
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