Children survive six-day ordeal on desert island after boat capsizes

Three children were rescued after surviving for six days in waters infested with sharks and crocodiles off the north coast of Australia.

Three children were rescued after surviving for six days in waters infested with sharks and crocodiles off the north coast of Australia.

The children, from Badu island in the Torres Straits, between the coast of Queensland and the southern tip of Papua New Guinea, managed to swim unharmed for eight miles before they were rescued.

Ellis Tamwoy, 15, her brother Stephen (known as Bala), 11, and 10-year-old sister Norita lived off any shellfish, coconut milk and wild berries they came across after their 15ft tin fishing boat capsized on its way to a family birthday party.

Their father Haley Tamwoy, also known as Naseili Nona, a pastor with the local Assembly of God Church and experienced boatman in his 50s, his wife Lisa, 40, and youngest son Clarence, 3, are still missing despite an air-and-sea rescue operation. Last Tuesday, the family set off on the two-hour journey to nearby Thursday Island to attend a 21st birthday party of a relative but, 40 minutes into the trip, the engine stopped. As Mr Tamwoy tried to restart it, the boat capsized in choppy waters.

After speaking to the rescued children, Wendy Phineasa, Mr Tamwoy's sister-in-law, said: "They said their father had told them to swim to find a small island while he and their mother stayed with their young son."

The warm waters meant that hypothermia was not an immediate threat but the warm temperatures mean the Torres Strait is more hospitable for sharks and saltwater crocodiles.

It was Stephen, as the strongest swimmer, who urged his sisters on. Stephen said: "I told them a ghost story, which made them swim better. I told them to be careful of the Red Ghoul because he would kill us. But if they saw the Blue Ghoul, the sea, he will rescue us."

Finally the three children reached a rocky outcrop where they stayed until Friday before swimming on to the tiny island of Matu - Stephen telling them to "swim quietly, not splash" to avoid attracting sharks.

There they finally found food including dried coconuts, which they tore open with their teeth, wongai fruit (a plum-like fruit) and oysters, which they cracked open on rocks. Two days ago, the castaways spotted their uncle Dinto Tamwoy approaching in a boat. They were dehydrated and sunburnt and Ellis had coral cuts on her feet. But they did not need hospital treatment.

Mrs Phineasa explained: "They were all shivering and really weak and they just ran to him and hugged him and started crying. They started telling him what happened and said: 'You've got to look for mum and dad.'"

Ben Mitchell, a spokesman for the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, confirmed that the search for the others had so far failed.

Mr Mitchell said: "We have been unable to locate the other three people."