(Newser) – A tragic day in Australia: Police say four children and three adults were found dead from gunshot wounds Friday in what is believed to be the country's deadliest mass shooting since 1996. Western Australia state Police Commissioner Chris Dawson told reporters the "horrific incident" happened at a rural property in the village of Osmington, near the tourist town of Margaret River, the AP reports. He said all seven people killed resided at the property, which police rushed to early Friday after receiving a phone call from somebody Dawson described as a "male person" connected to the property. Two firearms were located at the scene and "at this point in time there are no concerns about wider public safety," police said in a statement.

Police said two adults were found dead outside a building on the property and the others were inside. Neighbor Felicity Haynes, a local councillor, described the family involved as "caring neighbors" and "lovely people" who had moved to the area around three years ago to start a farm. Dawson declined to release the names or ages of the dead, saying the next of kin had yet to be contacted. This is the deadliest mass shooting in Australia since a lone gunman massacred 35 people in Tasmania 22 years ago, causing the country to introduce much tougher gun laws, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reports.

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