Eight family members – including five children – were found shot dead in a southern Utah home, authorities said.

They were discovered on Wednesday when police did a welfare check at the house, according to a statement by officials in Enoch, a small town of about 8,000 people 245 miles south of Salt Lake City.

Police said they did not detect any threat to the public.

Enoch city manager Rob Dotson said the community is shocked and in mourning.

“Many of us have served with them in church, in the community and gone to school with these individuals,” he said in a video statement on Wednesday night.

“This community at this time is hurting. They’re feeling loss, they’re feeling pain and they have a lot of questions,” Mr Dotson added, saying officials plan on releasing more information as it becomes available and the police investigation progresses.

“We won’t know the mindsets, the thoughts of the individuals who experienced this tragedy, but we all can pray that their families and the neighbours and all will come to an understanding of what happened in this place, probably in a day or two, or maybe longer,” he said, choking up at one point.

Welfare checks are routine when individuals are not seen for extended periods of time, Mr Dotson said.

The five children attended schools in the Iron County School District, officials said in a letter to parents.

Utah governor Spencer Cox offered condolences in a tweet on Wednesday night.