Cairns Stabbing: 8 Children Stabbed To Death In Australia [Updated]

Police in the northern Australian city of Cairns are investigating the brutal mass murder of eight children who were stabbed to death at a home there.

The dead children were siblings, ranging in age from 15-years-old to 18-months-old, authorities revealed of the gruesome scene. A 20-year-old brother discovered the bodies when he got home, and found his brothers and sisters murdered.

Australia is recovering from a terrorist attack on a cafe in Sydney on Monday, which resulted in the death of two victims, who were held against their will by a gunman. The perpetrator was killed when police stormed in to rescue the kidnapped victims.

The events have left the normally quiet, laid back country in a state of fear, and now the news of the brutal murders of eight innocent children is gripping Australia once again. So much so that Prime Minister Tony Abbot stated “these are trying days for our country,” the Telegraph reports.

Abbot added that the stabbing murders in Cairns are a “heartbreaking” crime that have plunged Australia into national mourning.

“This is an unspeakable crime,” the PM said in a statement. “Tonight there will be tears and prayers across our country for these children.”

So far, what we know is that the stabbings took place in Cairns, a popular tourist destination in the state of Queensland, located in the northern coast of Australia. A 34-year-old woman, reported to be the mother of the dead children, was allegedly taken to the hospital with stab wounds.

It is not clear what role, if any, the injured woman played in the attack, or if she was also a victim. A cousin of the stabbed children said they were all part of a mostly indigenous family, and the 20-year-old brother discovered the gruesome scene when he arrived home.

“I’m going to see him now, he needs comforting,” the woman told AAP. “We’re a big family and most of us are from the (Torres) Strait. I just can’t believe it. We just found out (about) those poor babies.”

According to Detective Inspector Bruno Asnicar, this was “a tragic, tragic event. However, he was not aware whether the children were all from one family.

“As it stands at the moment, there is no need for the public to be concerned… The situation is under control… We’ll cover every angle before this is finished.”

Cairns police said they were called to the house at 11:20 a.m., local time with reports of a woman suffering from serious injuries.

“During an examination of the residence police located the bodies of the children, all aged between 18 months and 15 years. These events are extremely distressing for everyone of course and police officers aren’t immune from that. We’re human beings as well, however the police that we have here are very highly trained and professional people and they’re going about their job in the way that I would expect them to.”

Police in Cairns said following the stabbings, the house would be locked down for several days in order to allow forensic investigators to finish gathering evidence.

UPDATE: Police in Cairns have arrested the children’s mother on suspicion of murdering eight of her kids. The 37-year-old was talking to investigators in connection with the gruesome murders, according to the BBC.

Cairns Detective Inspector Bruno Asnicar confirmed the arrest in a statement.

“The 37-year-old mother of several of the children involved in this incident has been arrested for murder overnight and is currently under police guard at the Cairns Base Hospital.”

“At this stage we’re not looking for anybody else – we’re comfortable that the community at large is safe.”

The eight-children stabbed to death were reportedly siblings and ranged in ages between 18-months and 15-years-old. Their 20-year-old brother found the bodies when he came home.

[Image via Twitter]