[Benjamin]

Eight children have been found dead at a house in Cairns in northern Queensland, say Australian police.

Police said a 34-year-old woman who was the mother of at least seven of the children had been taken to hospital with stab wounds but was stable.

Police have not confirmed Australian reports that the children, aged between 18 months and 15 years, were stabbed.

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said in a statement it was an "unspeakable crime".

He said all parents would feel "gut-wrenching sadness at what has happened".


Bruno Asnicar of Cairns Police said in an earlier briefing that the scenes his officers had witnessed were "extremely distressing"


Police have said it was a "tragic event" but there was no cause for public concern.

They have not made any arrests, but said the injured woman was assisting with their investigations.


Police have been comforting some of those outside the house
Cairns Detective Inspector Bruno Asnicar confirmed to reporters that the woman was the mother of at least seven of the children, but that formal identification of the bodies had not yet taken place.

"We believe the other child is a family member but that is being followed up," he said.

He said police could not confirm how the children died until coroners' reports were carried out.

Police are speaking to a range of people, he said, including a man seen near the house earlier in the day, but there are as yet no formal suspects.

Specialist police officers were being brought in from Brisbane, he said, including child trauma experts.

AAP reporter Cleo Fraser at the scene told the BBC residents were standing in the street in shock.

Queensland Police said in a statement earlier that they were called to a residence in Murray Street at 11.20 local time (01:20 GMT) following reports of a woman with serious injuries.

"During an examination of the residence police located the bodies of the children, all aged between 18 months and 15 years," said the statement.

Local people have told reporters that the children were found by their elder sibling, a 20-year-old man, when he returned to the house, but police have not confirmed this.


Queensland Premier Campbell Newman said he was "deeply saddened and shocked" by the events.

"Indeed, the whole Cairns community and the people of Queensland will feel the effects of this tragedy, particularly at a time of year when families come together."

The deaths come with Australia still reeling from the siege of a cafe in Sydney which ended on Tuesday morning, with the gunman and two hostages dead.

Mr Abbott said in his statement that these were "trying days for our country".

Several police and governmental investigations are under way into the police operation and how the gunman, Man Haron Monis, was able to carry out the attack.

Monis was on bail at the time of the attack after being charged with sexual assaults and being an accessory to the murder of his wife.

The New South Wales Bar Association president Jane Needham said on Friday that lawyers who represented him and the magistrate who granted him bail have received death threats

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-30544493

[Kizzy]

Shocking story, what on earth would possess anyone?...

[Benjamin]

The mother of seven of eight children found dead at a house in Cairns, Australia, has been arrested on suspicion of murder.

Police say the 37-year-old is talking to officers. She has not been charged.

She was found at her home with stab wounds, alongside the bodies of the eight children. A coroner is due to conduct post-mortem examinations.

The victims were aged 18 months to 14 years. Police have not said how they died. The eighth child was her niece.

Confirming the arrest, Cairns Detective Inspector Bruno Asnicar said: "The 37-year-old mother of several of the children involved in this incident has been arrested for murder overnight and is currently under police guard at the Cairns Base Hospital."

"At this stage we're not looking for anybody else - we're comfortable that the community at large is safe," he added.

Police found a number of weapons at the scene , including knives, which are being examined.

The woman's name has not been released. Her age was first given as 34 but has since been corrected to 37.

The bodies were reportedly discovered by the mother's 20-year-old son arriving at the home on Friday morning.

Police have dismissed reports the family had been investigated by social services saying it was "not a problem house".

A candlelight vigil and church service were held on Friday evening for the children.

Memorials have sprung up outside the home in the Manoora district of Cairns.

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said in a statement it was an "unspeakable crime".

These were "trying days for our country", he added.

The deaths come just days after the siege of a cafe in Sydney which ended with the gunman and two hostages dead.

.

[Kazanne]

Terrible tragedy,RIP those poor kids,what's going on with Australia at the moment?

[Josy]

This is so sad. 8 young lives taken away like this by someone that's supposed to love and care for them.

[Vicky.]

Awful story. Can never understand how people can kill kids, let alone their own kids

*Awaits inevitable 'poor mother, mental health' posts*

[Northern Monkey]

So she stabbed her kids and then stabbed herself to either kill herself or make it look like they'd been attacked by someone else?
Vile woman.Awful.Poor kids.