Eight children have been found stabbed to death at a house in the northern Australian city of Cairns.
Queensland police were initially called to reports of a badly injured woman in the city’s Manoora district on Friday morning before discovering the youngsters, aged between 18 months and 15 years.
The force has confirmed that the 34-year-old woman was the mother of seven of the children. The identity of the eighth infant has yet to be confirmed, but it is believed to be a relative.
The mother, who had suffered from multiple stab wounds to her upper body and neck, was taken to hospital where she is in a stable condition and is “assisting police”.
Detectives said that they had no formal suspects. Forensic teams were