'It's such a tragedy to hear that a mum and her two wee children have lost their lives today..!'

POLICE were probing a murder-suicide bid last night after two children and a woman were killed and a man was left in a serious condition in hospital.

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All three deceased, a woman in her 40s and her son and daughter, suffered gunshot wounds at a property near Maguiresbridge, Co Fermanagh.

Two people were pronounced dead at the scene and a third passed away in hospital.

The surviving person is an adult male, police said yesterday in Enniskillen.

The ages of the two children have not yet been confirmed and all four people are members of the same household.

The scene that greeted emergency services at the property was described as "harrowing" by PSNI Superintendent Robert McGowan, District Commander for Fermanagh and Omagh.

Speaking at a press conference in Enniskillen, the officer said it is "not anticipated at this stage that any arrests will be made".

The suspect, he said, had a "limited footprint with police".

On the scene that greeted police on arrival at the scene, the district commander said: "This was a very difficult scene for police to attend.

"The incident was ongoing and had just happened prior to police attending.

"So, as you could appreciate, it was a very hard scene for all involved - not only police officers but also our colleagues in the ambulance service.

Without going into detail, it was a very harrowing scene for anybody."

All four people were from the same household, the officer confirmed.

Asked if the incident is being treated as a triple murder and attempted suicide, the officer confirmed that is a "line of inquiry". He also confirmed the surviving person is an adult male.

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"There is a limited domestic history involving the people concerned," he said. "That is certainly one line of enquiry. There's been no previous issues, domestic or otherwise, reported to police."

The call to emergency services was received at ten minutes to eight yesterday morning, the District Commander said.