Parents die in accident: children survive 55 hours in outback EU budget: Germans pay record contribution of 25 billion euros, Poland largest recipient

Three young children survived a car crash for more than two days following an accident in Australia’s sweltering outback. The parents of the one-, two- and five-year-old siblings died in the accident. The drama made headlines across the country. A reporter for the 9News channel spoke of “three small miracles” given the harsh conditions in the Australian wilderness.

The family’s vehicle went off the road on Christmas Day, rolled over and landed on its roof. From the road, the wreckage was barely visible behind dense undergrowth, 9News reports. The media spoke of a “horror crash”.

The children had to survive for about 55 hours in the outback in temperatures of more than 30 degrees. Only then were they discovered by a relative who was looking for the family. The five-year-old girl is said to have saved her one-year-old brother by unbuckling his seat belt. For the 25 and 28-year-old parents, however, all help came too late.

The children were taken to hospital with severe dehydration. How they survived in the intense heat was initially as unclear as the cause of the accident. A family member said, “Nobody knows what they went through.”

The accident happened near the town of Kondinin, where the family lived. The community is located about 250 kilometers east of Perth, the state capital of Western Australia. (meg/sda/dpa)