Their parents were dead, and their SUV had overturned, but three children under the age of five survived in the sweltering heat of the Australian Outback for 55 hours, according to local media.
Their remaining family has referred to it as “a miracle.”
Jake Day and Cindy Braddoc “were involved in a fatal car accident in Western Australia on Christmas morning,” according to Casey Guyer, Day’s cousin.
“Devastatingly Jake and Cindy did not survive the accident,” he stated, adding that “it was a miracle their beautiful babies survived for over two days in the Australian Outback before being rescued.”
The children’s names have not been released.
Day and Braddock went missing in the early hours of Christmas morning, sparking a massive police search, according to Australian broadcaster 7News.
As the hours passed with no news, Braddock’s sister, Helen Braddock, took to Facebook to seek assistance. She stated that the family had left Northam to “go home to Kondinin,” another small town about 125 miles away.
Guyer stated on his fundraising page that both siblings, as well as the 3-year-old, were taken to the hospital.
“I have been to visit the kids and can not get over their strength,” he said.