Family and friends shocked and devastated after "overwhelming" tragedy near Larne

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Police cordon at scene of tragedy outside Larne.

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A young mother and a baby boy have been fighting for their lives after Monday's stabbing incident near Larne.

A toddler, also a boy, died in the tragedy at an isolated farmhouse on Bankhall Road in the Magheramorne area.

The woman in her 30s is the mother of the children. She is a nurse and a mother of four.

Police say they're not looking for anyone else in connection with what is being treating as a domestic incident.

Two older children are thought to have been at school at the time.

The woman’s partner was at work.

We've been speaking with a distraught family friend...

A Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) statement on Monday said: "Police can confirm that an investigation has commenced into the circumstances surrounding the death of a young child in the Larne area today.

"A woman in her 30s and a baby are currently receiving hospital treatment for injuries.

"The investigation is at an early stage and police are currently not looking for anyone else in connection with the death."

 

 

A major police and emergency services operation centred on the property at Bankhall Road throughout Monday.

Neighbours heard a helicopter and saw police and ambulances on Monday morning.

A laneway to the property had been sealed off by officers with forensics experts gathering evidence.

Neighbour Rhonda Kernohan said: "I heard the sirens and the helicopter, the air ambulance, came and it landed up at the back of the farm.

"We thought it was a farm accident but when we looked out there was a lot of shouting and a lot of police, a lot of ambulances about."

She added: "This is a quiet, rural, peaceful area."

Another neighbour said the woman who lived at the house was a "youngish girl".

They added: "It was very sad. We are feeling absolutely awful, so sad it is terrible.

"The shock of it, when it happens nearly on your doorstep."

The scene is at a house and outbuildings along a narrow lane high on a hillside overlooking Larne Lough, south of the port town of Larne.

White boilersuit-clad forensics experts combed the area for clues.

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