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8 Australian Children Are Found Dead in House 8 Children Found Dead Near Cairns, Australia
(35 minutes later)
SYDNEY, Australia — Eight children were found dead Friday in a single house in a suburb of Cairns, Australia, and the state police in Queensland were investigating. SYDNEY, Australia — The police have arrested a 37-year-old woman following the deaths of eight children in a house in a suburb of Cairns, Australia, on Friday.
Officers were called around 11:20 a.m. to a house in the suburb, Manoora, where they found the bodies of the children, ranging in age from about 18 months to 15 years, along with a seriously injured 34-year-old woman. She is believed to be the mother of seven of the eight children, and she was taken to a hospita,l where she was treated for stab wounds. The woman, 37, who was taken from the house with stab wounds on Friday, was being questioned by the police at Cairns Base Hospital.
Local news reports said at least some of the children had been stabbed. A spokesman at the state police headquarters who spoke on the condition of anonymity said it would take days for investigators to determine the cause of the children’s deaths. He said 12 specialist police investigators had been sent to Cairns, in Queensland’s far north, from the state’s capital, Brisbane, to help. Officers were called around 11:20 a.m. Friday to a house in the suburb, Manoora, where they found the bodies of the children, ranging in age from about 18 months to 15 years, along with the seriously injured woman. She is believed to be the mother of seven of the eight children.
“Forensic teams are at the house, and it will then take investigators some days to work through the crime scene and determine the cause of death,” he said. Local news reports said at least some of the children had been stabbed. Detective Inspector Bruno Asnicar said from the scene that weapons had been found in the house and that the state police in Queensland were continuing their investigation.
Earlier, Detective Inspector Bruno Asnicar told reporters at the scene, “This is a tragic, tragic event.” He said the woman was in stable condition and was helping the police with their investigation. She has not been charged. A spokesman at the state police headquarters who spoke on the condition of anonymity said it would take days for investigators to determine the cause of the children’s deaths. He said 12 specialist police investigators had been sent to Cairns, in Queensland’s far north, from the state’s capital, Brisbane, to help.
The police spokesman said no further details were available.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott described the news as heartbreaking. “All parents would feel a gut-wrenching sadness at what has happened,” he said in a statement. “These are trying days for our country.”Prime Minister Tony Abbott described the news as heartbreaking. “All parents would feel a gut-wrenching sadness at what has happened,” he said in a statement. “These are trying days for our country.”
On Monday, an armed man held 17 hostages in a Sydney cafe. The man and two of his captives were killed.