A 37-year-old Queensland mother has been arrested for the deaths of eight children near Cairns.
The mother of seven of the eight children found dead at a Cairns home has been arrested over their murders.
Mersane Warria, 37, is yet to be charged but is under police guard at a local hospital where she is in a stable condition after suffering multiple stab wounds.
She is the mother of all but one of the eight children, aged 18 months to 14 years, found dead at a house on Murray Street in the suburb of Manoora on Friday morning. She is the aunt of the eighth child.
Detective Inspector Bruno Asnicar told reporters near the crime scene on Saturday morning the woman was arrested for murder overnight and there were no other suspects.
Several knives were found at the scene but it was too early to say how the children died, he said.
'This is something that has caught everyone by surprise,' Insp Asnicar said.
'Just an absolutely tragic event.'
The bodies of the children, who have not been named, have been removed from the house and autopsies will be carried out later on Saturday.
Forensic experts, uniformed police and homicide detectives are expected to remain at the crime scene for several days trying to piece together how the killings unfolded.
Insp Asnicar said detectives had spoken to the woman's 20-year-old son who arrived at the house on Friday morning to find his siblings dead.
Police and government agencies were offering assistance to the family, believed to be from the Torres Strait Islands, and the wider community.
Officers had been sent to the Torres Strait and senior members of that community were rallying together both there and in Cairns on Saturday.
Torres Shire Council Mayor Pedro Stephen said everyone in the region was grieving.
'It's like a bomb has gone off,' he told AAP.
'Everyone is in shock.'
Indigenous youth advocate Tania Major said the grief being experienced at the scene could possibly only be trumped by what those in the family's native Torres Strait Islands were feeling.
'There would be no music and no partying - even no fishing on their country - while the community grieves,' she told AAP.
Hundreds turned out for a vigil at a Cairns church on Friday night where a minute's silence was held for each of the eight children, while shocked residents and family members continued to lay flowers near the crime scene on Saturday.
City Church Pastor Michael Dalla Vecchia said his message was for people to come together and support one another.
'Love conquers all,' he told AAP.
'There will be a time of mourning but we will rebuild.'
Acting Assistant Commissioner Paul Taylor said the community was uniting to support each other and impact of the tragedy would be felt across the country.
'There will be people who have never, ever been to Cairns who will be touched by this tragedy,' he said.
AAP