A mother has been arrested for the stabbing murder of eight children, aged between 18 months and 15, in Cairns.
Detective Inspector Bruno Asnicar told reporters at the scene on Saturday morning the woman was yet to be charged and was receiving medical treatment for stab wounds she had received.
The woman is believed to be the mother of seven of the children and the aunt of the other. Asnicar could not say whether the mother's wounds were self-inflicted.
"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," Insp Asnicar said.
"She's stable and being looked after."
In a media conference this morning, Queensland Police confirmed the woman was arrested but not charged.
Relatives of the woman have said one of her other sons, aged 20, had arrived at their Murray St home in the Cairns suburb of Manoora on Friday morning to find his siblings stabbed to death.
Asnicar said it was too early to say how the children died, but reports have said they were stabbed to death and police confirmed that a number of weapons, including knives, were found inside the house.
"The bodies have been removed from that residence," Insp Asnicar said.
"Autopsies will occur today. It will be after that we can comment about those sorts of things."
Forensic police are expected to remain at the crime scene for the next several days. Insp Asnicar said there were no other suspects.
Police officers and community members could be seen laying floral tributes at the scene on Saturday morning.
"This is something that has caught everyone by surprise," Insp Asnicar said. "Just an absolutely tragic event."
Insp Asnicar said detectives had spoken to the brother who came across the grisly scene, as well as other witnesses.
Several knives had been located at the scene and officers would determine which ones were used during the incident, he said.
The distressing deaths have come as a shock to police, who said the house was not a "problem house".
"This is just an ordinary neighbourhood," Asnicar said. "A lot of good people, a lot of kids in the area and this is just something that has caught everybody by surprise. It's absolutely tragic."
The murders have rocked Australia, still reeling from a dramatic siege in a central Sydney cafe this week that left two hostages and a gunman dead and prompted a huge outpouring of emotion.
Candlelight vigils and church services took place in Cairns overnight, and police said they are working closely with the indigenous Torres Strait Islander community to which the family belonged.
Acting Assistant Commissioner Paul Taylor said the community was uniting to support each other.
"It galvanises the community and shows the strength that communities across north Queensland have," he said. "The family and friends of the victims can draw on the strength in the coming days, weeks and months."
Mr Taylor said police and government agencies were offering assistance to the family and community at large.
"There will be people who have never, ever been to Cairns who will be touched by this tragedy," he said.
Mr Taylor said officers are being sent to the Torres Strait Islands to help people in those communities who might know or be related to the victims.
If people are feeling distressed, Lifeline is available all day, every day, on 13 11 14 or at lifeline.org.au
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