Eight children have been found dead in their home in Queensland, Australia. The children are aged between 18 months and 15 years. The mother of seven of the murdered children is co-operating with police and is also reported to have stab wounds.
The bodies were discovered by the children’s 20-year-old brother in the northern Queensland city of Cairns. Police have said that there is no cause for public concern but there is no formal suspect.
Australian prime minister Tony Abbott described the deaths as ‘an unspeakable crime’. Mr Abbott’s statement also referred to the fact that this is the second national tragedy in recent days, following the siege of a café in Sydney by a self-styled Muslim cleric.
The tropical city of Cairns is beautiful ocean side setting where public safety is ranked highly but crime has been a problem in recent years.