A man killed his concubine and two of her children on the night of Sunday 5 to Monday 6 in Carvin (Pas-de-Calais).
An eight-year-old boy, a 16-year-old girl and their 35-year-old mother were stabbed to death, according to the emergency services.
Aged about forty, the man then allegedly attempted suicide. He was transported to Lille hospital, but his life prognosis is not in jeopardy, said a police source.
Three other children, 6, 9 and 13, shocked, took refuge with their grandparents living on the same street, who took them to hospital in Lens. The Béthune public prosecutor's office was seized of the investigation.
The case brings the number of suspected femicides since the start of the year to at least 18, according to an AFP count. In 2019, AFP identified at least 126 cases of women killed by their partner or ex, i.e. a woman every three days on average.
