SINGAPORE – After giving birth to her second daughter four months ago, Ms Lin Xiuyue, who was on maternity leave, took the opportunity to visit Hokkaido, Japan, with her husband and two children.
The family planned to return home before Chinese New Year to celebrate the occasion with their latest addition, but while driving in the ski town of Kamifurano on Jan 10, they met with an accident that killed Ms Lin, 41, and her newborn.
Their rental car was reportedly turning from a side road to the main road when it collided with a large lorry that was moving straight ahead.
Speaking to The Straits Times on Wednesday at the wake in Jurong West, Ms Lin’s brother-in-law said he was shocked when he learnt about what had happened to the family.
“It is two deaths at one time during a sensitive period – just before Chinese New Year. They are a young family and her younger daughter Aahana is barely half a year old,” said Mr Chris Chan, a 38-year-old civil servant.
He had found out what had happened from his wife, who spoke to Ms Lin’s husband, Mr Karthik Balasubramanian, on the day of the accident.
Mr Karthik, a 44-year-old engineer, and his older daughter, Aanya Karthik, who is three years old, escaped the crash with minor injuries and were discharged from a hospital in Hokkaido a few days ago.
Mr Chan said Mr Karthik was naturally devastated after what had happened and that he and Aanya were due to return to Singapore on Wednesday night.
Mr Karthik and Ms Lin, who was a teacher at Nan Chiau Primary School, were married in 2017. They left for Japan a few days after the turn of the new year. The holiday had taken place just before Ms Lin was scheduled to return to work.
Though Hokkaido, the northernmost island in Japan, is a popular ski destination for Singaporeans during the winter months, Mr Chan said it was unlikely the couple would have been planning to go skiing with two young children in tow, and they had probably gone there for sightseeing.
Mr Chan said Ms Lin, the eldest of three siblings, was an important pillar in the family who would take lead in handling family members.
He added that Ms Lin’s aged parents were grief-stricken following the deaths of their daughter and granddaughter, but they are coping better now.
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