Five Children Found Dead in Germany in Suspected ‘Criminal Offense’

An ambulance stands at a road block in Germany in a stock photo (Karl-Josef Hildenbrand/dpa via AP)

Five children have been killed and a mother was severely injured in Germany in what has been described as a possible murder-suicide.

Police said that the children were found dead at a German apartment building in Solingen. Officials suspect the 27-year-old mother was responsible, adding that she attempted to take her own life at a nearby train station, reported the BBC.

A sixth child, identified as an 11-year-old boy, survived the incident, authorities said.

“The cause of death is to be determined through investigations and autopsy,” said police spokesman Stefan Weiand, reported DW.com.

North Rhine-Westphalia Interior Minister Herbert Reul was quoted as saying that the mother attempted to jump in front of a train in Dusseldorf, located northwest of Solingen. She was found between two track beds and was taken to a nearby hospital, authorities said.

“We are assuming there was a criminal offense and will question the mother but she is not fit for questioning at the moment,” added Weiand. “We do not know exactly what happened yet, only that it was a very tragic situation.”

“The family drama in Solingen fills me with great sadness, and at the moment I am sending my thoughts and prayers to the five children who were torn from life so terribly early,” said Reul.

The mayor of Solingen, Tim Kurzbach, wrote on social media that he visited the apartment complex, according to the BBC.

“For me, it is still incomprehensible,” he wrote, adding: “Today is a day of mourning for all of Solingen.”