A 17-year-old girl has been charged with the murder of her 10-year-old sister at a Lake Macquarie home in the NSW Hunter region.

Emergency services arrived at the scene on Thurston Street in Boolaroo about 20km west of Newcastle, just before 4pm on Monday, where they found a young girl with multiple stab wounds.

Paramedics treated the child for injuries on her upper body but she died at the scene. The older sister was arrested at the home and taken to Belmont police station shortly after the incident.

“It is just beyond words,” one neighbour told The Sydney Morning Herald. “We are grieving.”

NSW Homicide Squad Commander Daniel Doherty said the incident in Boolaroo was “independent [and] isolated” from other stabbings across the state.

“My thoughts again go out to the mother who is at home, who has lost a 10-year-old,” he said. “Tragically lost a life, and now has another daughter facing court allegedly responsible for killing the 10-year-old”.

“It’s a tragic circumstance. It’s hard to imagine.”

The case was heard in a NSW Children’s court, however the 17-year-old was absent.

No bail application was made and the matter has been adjourned until June. The police are now looking into any possible history of mental illness in the family.

Photo: 2015 Ford Falcon (FG X) sedan, NSW Police Force by Jeremy is available HERE and is used under a Creative Commons Licence. This image has not been modified.