A 5-year-old girl saved her brother's life after her parents died in a car crash that left her three young children trapped in wreckage for more than two days in a rural remote corner of Western Australia, according to CNN affiliate Nine. News reported.
In a statement, Western Australian Police said the family's Land Rover Discovery was found Tuesday morning in Condinin, about 280 kilometers (174 miles) east of the state capital Perth.
Cindy Braddock, 25, and Jake Day, 28, were pronounced dead at the scene, police said.
Their three children escaped the accident but were left trapped in the car with their dead parents, exposed to scorching temperatures, until they were found by concerned family members.
According to Nine News, a family of five, including a little girl and her two brothers, ages 2 and 1, had been reported missing the day before after failing to make it in time for Christmas celebrations.
A relative, Michael Reid, told Nine News that a five-year-old girl saved her youngest brother's life by freeing him from his child seat.
"If a 5-year-old didn't unbuckle a 1-year-old's car seat, he wouldn't be with us today," Reed said. "She probably won't know for a few years."
Their ordeal was exacerbated by the high temperatures, Reid said.
"Basically, they were stuck in the car for 55 hours in 30 degrees Celsius (about 86 degrees Fahrenheit) heat," he told Nine News. "Nobody knows what they went through."
The children were taken to hospital with severe dehydration, police said.
They survived the non-life-threatening injuries and are expected to be discharged from the hospital in the next few days, Nine News reported.