By Oyintari Ben
A five-year-old girl saved her baby brother’s life in a remote area of rural Western Australia, leaving three young children stranded in the wreckage for more than two days after their parents died in a car accident, according to CNN affiliate Nine News.
The family’s Land Rover Discovery was discovered Tuesday morning in Kondinin, which is located approximately 280 kilometres (174 miles) east of the state’s capital Perth, according to a statement from Western Australia Police.
Police reported that parents Cindy Braddock, 25, and Jake Day, 28, were pronounced dead at the scene.
Even though their three children were alive after the collision, they were locked in the hot car for hours until a worried relative found them.
The girl and her two brothers, who are 2 and 1, were among the five members of the family who were reported missing a day earlier when they failed to show up for a Christmas Day celebration.
Michael Read, a relative, confirmed that the 5-year-old girl freed her youngest brother from his child seat to save his life.
The 1-year-old wouldn’t be with us today, according to Read, if the 5-year-old hadn’t undone the car seat’s buckle. She won’t likely find out for a few years.
Their ordeal was worsened by high temperatures, Read said.
”Basically they were stuck in the car for the 55 hours in 30-degree (Celsius – about 86 Fahrenheit) heat,” he told Nine News. Nobody is aware of what they endured.
According to investigators, the kids were transported to the hospital because they were severely dehydrated.
They are anticipated to be released from the hospital in the next few days after surviving with non-life-threatening injuries.