Herald Sun wrote:QUEENSLAND Police have confirmed that eight children have been found dead at a home in Cairns.
Reports suggest they were killed in a mass stabbing with the victims eight children ranging in age from 18 months to 15 years.
Emergency crews were called to the address on Murray Street in Manoora at 11.20am.
A 34-year-old woman has been taken to hospital from the scene and is reportedly in a stable condition. The Queensland Ambulance Service says the woman had a wound to her chest.
The 34-year-old’s cousin, Lisa Thaiday, told AAP at the scene that the children were all siblings.
The woman was their mother, she said.
Ms Thaiday said another sibling, a 20-year-old man, arrived home to find his brothers and sisters dead inside the house.
He is now being comforted by other family members.
“I’m going to see him now, he needs comforting,” Ms Thaiday said.
She described the family and extended relatives as close-knit. “We’re a big family and most of us are from the (Torres) Strait,” she said.
“I just can’t believe it. We just found out (about) those poor babies.”
About 20 to 30 people, including neighbours and locals, could be seen to be visibly upset and comforting each other at the scene.
Cairns Regional Crime Co-ordinator Detective Inspector Bruno Asnicar said the woman is not presently in custody and is helping police with their inquiries.
Police have not confirmed the relationship between the woman and the children.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott has issued a statement addressing the shocking incident.
“The news out of Cairns is heartbreaking,” said Mr Abbott. “All parents would feel a gut-wrenching sadness at what has happened.
“This is an unspeakable crime.
“These are trying days for our country. Tonight there will be tears and prayers across our country for these children.
“My thoughts are with the Queensland Police and all who have to respond to this terrible situation.”
Cairns MP Gavin King told the ABC counselling is being offered to families and friends of those affected.
“I’ve spoken to local police and various state agencies and our immediate priority is to ensure that appropriate support and counselling is in place for very near neighbours and of course any family and friends that are directly impacted,” he said.
Mr King says news of the tragedy is still filtering through the close-knit community.
“I think the community of Cairns that I am a part of is really just in complete and utter shock at what is a tragedy of a scale we have certainly never seen before in our community,” he said.
“It’s a street that I visit regularly, residents I speak to regularly live on that street and it’s really a sense of community shock.”
A couple who had lived around the corner for 18 months said they didn’t feel safe in the area and it was not uncommon to hear fighting and drinking at night.
“It’s pretty scary. Oh my God,” the man, who did not want to be named, told AAP.
Specialist police officers were travelling from Brisbane to assist with the investigation, Det Insp Asnicar said.
“We are missing nothing as far as conducting this investigation,” he said.
“This is not a small job, we’re not taking this lightly at all ... we’ll cover every angle before this is finished.”
The incident was a tragic event, but there was no need for the public to be concerned about their safety, he said.
More than a dozen police vehicles and the region’s most senior detective inspectors are reportedly on site.
The street has been cordoned off and a crime scene will remain in place for at least the next day, Det Insp Asnicar told reporters at the scene.
It was an “extremely distressing” scene for the first-response officers, he said.
A crime scene has been set up with a mobile police facility established and officers from the Cairns Criminal Investigation Branch, Child Protection and Investigation Unit, Scenes of Crime and Scientific section are conducting an investigation and examination of the scene.
Manoora is described as being in a struggling area of Cairns and Manoora St is a well-known crime hotspot.
A vigil will be held tonight at 6pm at Munro Martin Park which is in the Cairns CBD.
Quite a distressing and sad story; eight children, all siblings, under the age of 15 stabbed to death inside a house in Cairns, Queensland. Cairns is one of the largest cities in far north Australia and a popular holiday hotspot. There's a sizeable indigenous population in Cairns and unfortunately this tragedy appears to have befallen the torres strait islander community. Very sad to note this happened merely days after the Sydney Siege. There isn't much information available now so I will update this as new information comes to light.
