Eight children found dead in northern Australian city

The victims range in age from 18 months to 15 years.

December 19, 2014 09:20 am | Updated 11:04 am IST - SYDNEY

Eight children were found dead on Friday inside a home in a northern Australian city, police said.

Queensland state police said they were called to the home in the Cairns suburb of Manoora on Friday morning after receiving a report of a woman with serious injuries.

Police said when they got to the house, they found the bodies of the children inside the home. The victims range in age from 18 months to 15 years.

The woman, believed to be in her 30s, is receiving treatment for her injuries, police said. They said they had no further information, including how the children were killed.

Detective Inspector Bruno Asnicar told reporters at the scene it was “a tragic, tragic event.” He said detectives are speaking with neighbours and police had not determined the relationship between all of the children and the hospitalized woman.

But Lisa Thaiday, who said she was the woman’s cousin, said the children were all siblings and that the woman was their mother. Thaiday said another sibling, a 20-year-old man, came home and found his brothers and sisters dead inside the house.

The street has been cordoned off and a crime scene will remain in place for at least the next day, Asnicar said.

Dozens of police have swarmed the home.

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