Police suspect mother of murder after bodies of five children were found in an apartment in Germany

The bodies of five children have been discovered in a flat in western Germany with their mother the main suspect in their killings, police have said.

The bodies were found on the third floor of a building in the city of Solingen by the children’s grandmother, who alerted emergency services at 1.45pm local time on Thursday.

The children were three girls aged 18 months, two and three years, as well as two boys aged six and eight, a police spokesman told German media.

The woman, aged 27, who has not been identified, is believed to have tried to take her own life following the deaths of her children, by jumping in front of a train at Düsseldorf main station. She was taken to hospital with serious injuries where she is undergoing treatment.

A sixth child – an 11-year-old son – is being looked after by other family members, police confirmed.

No further details have so far been released.