THREE French children have been found with their throats slit at their home near Paris and a search has been launched for their mother.

The doctor father of the children aged nine, 11 and 17, raised the alarm after returning home in the morning from work, police and judicial sources said.

"The children had their throats slit but we are still awaiting forensic reports," a judicial source said.

The bodies of the nine-year-old girl and her 11-year-old brother showed multiple stab injuries.

The eldest brother was found alive, but later died of his injuries.

The killings took place in the suburban town of Dampmart, 30km east of Paris. The father was found in a state of shock.

"We are actively looking" for the mother, a judicial source said, adding that she was in her 40s.

The couple were undergoing marital problems, investigators said.