Three children found dead at a suburban semi-detached house in Bristol were siblings aged nine months to seven years, police have confirmed. Avon and Somerset police said a 42-year-old woman arrested on suspicion of their murder sustained injuries but that they were not life-threatening. She remained in hospital and in police custody on Monday evening. Formal identification of the children has not taken place but the police said they were believed to be Fares Bash, seven, Joury Bash, three, and nine-month-old Mohammed Bash. The force said it might take the rest of the week or into next to establish the cause of the children’s deaths and described the incident as highly sensitive and complex. Friends and neighbours have said there was a “family problem” earlier this year. Police have refused to spell out the relationship between the children and the woman but said it was an “isolated” incident and they did not believe there was an ongoing risk to the wider community. Speaking at the scene in Sea Mills, Ch Insp Vicks Hayward-Melen said: “This is a terrible and deeply distressing tragedy in which three young children have lost their lives. Our thoughts are very much with the children’s loved ones who are going through a horrendous ordeal.” She said police were called by a member of the public concerned for the welfare of the family on the early hours of Sunday. “Officers arrived at 12.40am and found three children whose lives could not be saved.” Postmortem investigations were not likely to be completed until the middle or end of the week. “A 42-year-old woman was arrested at the scene and taken to hospital due to injuries she’d sustained. Her condition is not life-threatening and she remains in police custody,” she said. “We are treating this as an isolated incident and we don’t believe there to be any ongoing risk to the wider community. The death of such young children is a great shock to the whole community and this incident has had a profound and deep impact on all of us in the police. “I know people will be eager to have answers but the major crime investigation team are in the very early stages of what will be a highly sensitive, complex and thorough investigation and it will take time to establish all the facts.” The Independent Office for Police Conduct said the force had informed it about the incident because of previous police contact in February. Hayward-Melen said: “As is usual in circumstances where there’s been prior police contact, we have notified the Independent Office for Police Conduct, and a mandatory formal referral will be made today. “We’ve been humbled by the community response to this tragedy. At a time of great sadness and disbelief, we’ve seen spontaneous acts of care and support. Within hours of the incident occurring, a local church was opened up for people to gather and mourn. This is what being in a community is all about and we’d like to thank all those who continue to offer this important and selfless service.” The street is in a quiet neighbourhood about four miles north-west of Bristol city centre, and police officers remained posted outside a semi-detached house on Monday morning. A Methodist church hall was opened by police on Sunday evening and Monday to give members of the Sudanese community a place to meet and comfort one another. Salwa Bashar, 32, an NHS worker, said: “The children were the most beautiful souls. Fares was the most intelligent child I have ever met, He was courteous and always wanted to know how you were. I always believed he was going to become an extraordinary adult, doing extraordinary things. “It breaks my heart that he and his sister and little brother are no longer with us. They were such lovely children and they deserved to be protected.” Churches in Sea Mills were opened for people to pray for the children and console each other. Sally Thomas, the vicar of St Edyth’s church, said: “It’s a shocking, tragic situation that we’re finding hard to come to terms with. We’re opening up our church. We’ve had all sorts of people coming in to express their grief. People have come with children. “Some have wept, some have stood in silence. Some people knew the family involved and didn’t have clue this tragedy was about to unfold.” Deborah Marsh, of Highgrove church, said: “The community are pulling together to provide support and opportunities for people to grieve.” Sea Mills primary school, which the oldest child attended, closed for the morning. A Bristol minicab driver who knows the family well said he had last seen the mother and children about a fortnight ago. “I visited them because I heard there was a family problem between [the children’s mother and father]. I wanted to find out if we could help,” he said. He said the father, who worked as a security guard, was not living at the house at that point. “She wasn’t happy with her husband,” he added. “Her kids were all happy. I asked them whether they needed my help as a taxi driver. They asked me to take them to Tesco. They did their shopping then I took them back home. “She is a very nice person. It is very sad … We have a very close community here. I heard about what had happened and came over.” The minicab driver said the eldest child had been born in Sudan and the others in the UK.