Bruno Asnicar, the detective inspector of the Queensland state police, discussed the stabbing deaths of eight children in the northern Australian city of Cairns. Video by Reuters on Publish Date December 19, 2014. Photo by Romy Bullerjahn/European Pressphoto Agency.
SYDNEY, Australia — The state police in Queensland, Australia, were investigating the discovery on Friday of eight dead children in a single house in a suburb of Cairns.
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 hospital where she was treated for stab wounds.
Local news reports said that 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 that 12 specialist police investigators had been sent to Cairns, in Queensland’s far north, from the state’s capital, Brisbane, to help.
“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.
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.
The police spokesman said that 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.”
On Monday, an armed man held 17 hostages in a Sydney cafe. The man and two of his captives were killed. - Nytimes
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