12 siblings bag Guinness world record together. Here's why

A family of 12 elderly siblings have made it to the Guinness World Record for the highest combined age totalling 1,042 years and 315 days.

The age of the nine sisters and three brothers of the D’Cruz range from 75 to 97 years. They were all born in Karachi, Pakistan. Over the years, the family spread out across Canada, the United States and Switzerland.

Though the siblings don’t live together, they are a closely-knit bunch. They try to see each other at least thrice a year on major holidays, but this year, the meeting ritual got disrupted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the family has daily zoom chats where they pray the rosary.

One of the siblings, Joyce Desouza, 91, said that the award is one of the greatest highlights of their lives. Desouza told CTVNews.ca, “We’re very proud of the fact that we’re still alive. That’s the greatest part.”