DHAKA: The mother of seven of eight children found dead in a home in Cairns, Australia, has been arrested on suspicion of murder.

Police said the woman, aged 37, was lucid and talking to investigators. She has not been charged, reports BBC.

She was found at the property, suffering stab wounds, alongside the bodies of the eight children.

They were aged 18 months to 14 years. Police have not said how they died. The eighth child was her niece.

Confirming the arrest, Cairns Detective Inspector Bruno Asnicar said: "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," he added.

BDST: 1028 HRS, DEC 20, 2014