A woman has been charged with murder over the death of two toddlers who were allegedly left for hours in a car near Brisbane.

Paramedics were called to a home at Waterford West in Logan about 1.35pm on Saturday but were unable to revive the girls, aged one and two.

Police said it appeared the sisters had died of exposure to extreme heat. They were attempting to establish how long they had been in a black station wagon parked in the front of the property.

A 27-year-old Waterford West woman known to the girls was charged late on Saturday with two counts of murder, police said. She will appear at Brisbane magistrates’ court on Monday.

The Courier-Mail reported that the woman is the children’s mother.

“The two children exhibited signs of being exposed to extreme heat and that is forming the direction of our investigation,” DI Mark White said on Saturday.

“We are speaking to the parents of those children. It’s a very tragic incident which has occurred.”

Police said they were offering support to officers who attended the scene. “We are putting a lot of emphasis on supporting our people,” White said.