Police allege a 42-year-old mother stabbed her three children, aged five and under, while they were strapped into car seats in Valley Heights, Blue Mountains, on Sunday. Her five-year-old son died, while his two younger siblings and the mother were critically injured after she allegedly wounded herself; the incident has prompted a homicide investigation.

Cyclists and a motorist stopped to help after finding the children in a vehicle and the injured woman nearby. The survivors underwent surgery at Westmead hospitals, while police said they hoped to question the mother if she recovered; the father and Sydney’s Kenyan community are supporting the family.