8 children found stabbed to death in Australia home

'Unspeakable crime' sends another shock wave through grieving nation

Eight children ranging from babies to teenagers were found dead, victims of what was reported as a gruesome stabbing, at an Australian home in Cairns on Friday.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott called the tragedy heartbreaking, as Australia was already in mourning over Monday's dramatic standoff in Sydney that left two hostages and a gunman dead.

"All parents would feel a gut-wrenching sadness at what has happened," he said in a statement. "This is an unspeakable crime."

Cairns police officers said they were called to the scene and found the bodies. The victims were between 18 months and 15 years old.

A woman in her 30s, who police said is believed to be the mother of seven of the victims, was injured in the incident, which took place in the suburb of Manoora, 10 minutes from the Cairns city center. TV footage showed her being lifted on a stretcher into an ambulance.

The eighth child is also thought to be a family member.

The police said they had no suspects in the distressing deaths.

"We're not talking about naming suspects or identifying particular suspects at this stage," Cairns Detective Inspector Bruno Asnicar said.

Cairns is a tropical city with a population of more than 150,000 and is popular with international tourists as a gateway to the Great Barrier Reef, one of Australia's biggest tourist sites.

The Associated Press cited a cousin, Lisa Thaiday, as saying the injured woman's 20-year-old son arrived home to find his siblings dead inside the house.

"I just can't believe it. We just found out about those poor babies," Thaiday said.

Police said they were speaking to a 20-year-old man who arrived at the scene early on Friday but would not comment on whether he had found the bodies.

Reports widely stated that the children had been stabbed. The Cairns Post reported they were also suffocated, although police did not confirm this. A report from Sky News said a stepfather was known to live at the house, but his whereabouts were unknown.

Community reeling

Asnicar, the detective, said there was no need for the public to be worried.

"As it stands there's no need for the public to be concerned about this other than the fact that this is a tragic, tragic event," he told a news conference. "The situation is well controlled at the moment. There shouldn't be any concern for anyone else out of this environment."

He added that it was too early to determine the chain of events.

Cairns Post reporter Scott Forbes, who was on the scene, said the neighborhood where the bodies were found has many connections in the same extended family.

"All of the people here are actually related to the people who were involved in this incident," he told the Australian Broadcasting Corp, speaking of those who live on the same street. "So they're all reeling at the moment but telling us that she was a very, very protective, very proud mother who loved her children dearly."

Local resident Rebecca Levers tweeted: "Horrible to come out of our house and hear this, that children are involved. Devastating."