A Chinese man has confessed to killing his parents in an argument over money and then killing 17 neighbours in an attempt to cover up his crime, state media reported.

The youngest victim of the murderous rampage in a remote village in southwest China was three, the oldest 72. They were members of six families.

Suspect Yang Qingpei, aged in his 20s, went to his home village on Wednesday.

He was arrested in Kunming, capital of Yunnan Province, on Thursday.

The Xinhua state news agency report did not say how the villagers were killed.

Mass killings are rare in China and access to firearms is tightly controlled.</s>BEIJING (AP) — Police say a villager in southwest China killed his parents and then 17 neighbors in an attempt to cover up his crime, the official Xinhua News Agency reported Friday.

An investigation found that Yang Qingpei argued with his parents over money on Wednesday evening and killed them, Xinhua said. Fearing he would be identified as the killer, he then murdered 17 neighbors in the village of Yema, it said, citing police in southwestern Yunnan province where the village is located.

Xinhua didn’t say how Yang, aged 26 or 27, allegedly killed the villagers.

He was arrested in the provincial capital of Kunming, about 200 kilometers (120 miles) away, on Thursday, a few hours after the bodies from different households were discovered.

The deaths are one of the bloodiest mass slayings in recent years in China, where deadly random attacks on schools and public transport have been blamed on people bearing grudges against their families, neighbors or society in general.

Because firearms are tightly controlled in China, mass killings are usually carried out with knives, poison, homemade explosives or by arson.</s>A ‘socially awkward’ Chinese man from southwest China has confessed to killing 17 of his neighbors after killing his own parents in a conflict over money.

The 27-year-old had returned to his hometown village of Yema in China’s mountainous Yunnan Province to ask his parents for some money to settle gambling debts.

Cops say Yang Qingpei, 27, argued bitterly with his parents over his finances. The Chengdu Economic Daily reported that the “socially awkward” Yang had racked up massive gambling debts.

Xinhua reported that when his parents refused to bail him out financially, Yang exploded, killing them in a demonic rage.

But the young man apparently feared he would be pegged as the killer.

So cops believe he slaughtered 17 neighbours — including three children — in the tiny village of Yema, in Yunnan province, apparently to eliminate witnesses. Cops have not said what instruments were used to commit the vile deeds.

He was later arrested in Kunming — about 200 kilometres away — just hours after the neighbours’ corpses were discovered.

China’s dictatorship has been busy playing down the slayings to the point there is almost no coverage at all. One expert told the New York Times that the country’s leadership is increasingly cracking down on the press.

“It doesn’t have to raise a red flag politically or ideologically for them to censor it,” David Bandurski told the Times.</s>A man in China killed his parents then massacred 17 neighbours in an attempt to cover up the crime, police have said.

The mass killing is one of the worst in China in recent years, but the story appears to have been heavily censored in the country, leading to some complaints on social media.

Mr Yang became involved in an argument with his parents over money on 28 September. Local reports claim he was a gambler, leading to speculation he had racked up debts. The argument escalated and resulted in the murder of both his parents.

Fearing being identified as the killer, police said, Mr Yang went on to murder a number of his neighbours in the remote village of Yema, Yunan province.

After the crime, Mr Yang fled to Kunming, the regional capital, where he worked, but was arrested.

Police have not said how the murders were carried out, but that there were 19 victims aged between three and 72, including four children.

Gun ownership is strictly restricted in China and murders are often carried out using knives or other methods.

Despite the apparent lack of political motive to the mass killing, state censors have restricted reporting of the story, with official outlets reproducing a short statement but no further details.

The Communist government is known for its attempts to control any major stories which could reflect badly on the country.</s>A blood-drenched massacre that left 19 people dead in southwest China may have been triggered by a family dispute over money.

Cops say Yang Qingpei, 27, argued bitterly with his parents over his finances. The Chengdu Economic Daily reported that the “socially awkward” Yang had racked up massive gambling debts.

Xinhua reported that when his parents refused to bail him out financially, Yang exploded, killing them in a demonic rage.

But the young man apparently feared he would be pegged as the killer.

So cops believe he slaughtered 17 neighbours -- including three children -- in the tiny village of Yema, in Yunnan province, apparently to eliminate witnesses. Cops have not said what instruments were used to commit the vile deeds.

He was later arrested in Kunming -- about 200 kilometres away -- just hours after the neighbours’ corpses were discovered.

China’s dictatorship has been busy playing down the slayings to the point there is almost no coverage at all. One expert told the New York Times that the country’s leadership is increasingly cracking down on the press.

“It doesn’t have to raise a red flag politically or ideologically for them to censor it,” David Bandurski told the Times.</s>Chinese police have arrested a man suspected of killing 19 people, including three children, who were found dead in different locations in a remote south-western village.

Mass killings are rare in China and the incident dominated discussion on social media platforms. It was not immediately clear how the victims were killed, or what the motive was.

Yang Qingpei, born in 1989, was arrested in Kunming, capital of Yunnan province and about 124 miles (200km) from the site of the murders in Yema, Yunnan police said.

The victims were members of six families, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

The bodies were found on Thursday at different locations in the village, according to a state-backed news website, ThePaper.cn, which said the suspect had given authorities some details.

The public security bureau in the nearby city of Qujing told Reuters it was investigating.</s>KUNMING: Police in southwest China’s Yunnan Province arrested a suspect Thursday afternoon, hours after 16 people, including three children, were found dead in their village homes, China’s Xinhua news agency reported.

The man was detained in the provincial capital of Kunming, about 200 km from the crime scene, local police said.

The county’s public security bureau received report of the case in Yema Village, Huize County, at 7:39 am Friday.

The 16 victims including males and females were from six households.</s>A suspect was arrested Thursday following the discovery of 19 dead bodies in six homes in a southwestern Chinese village, police and state media said.

Police in Yunnan province identified the "major criminal suspect" as Yang Qingpei. It said he came from the same village in Huize county where the "criminal case" occurred earlier Thursday, but didn't give any details on how the deaths took place.

Police said the suspect was arrested in the provincial capital of Kunming, about 200 kilometers (120 miles) from where the bodies were found.

The official Xinhua News Agency said the dead included men, women and three children.

Xinhua described the deaths as a killing spree but provided no details. If they were murders, the deaths would be one of the bloodiest mass slayings in China in recent years.

Because firearms are tightly controlled in China, mass attacks are usually carried out with knives, poison or homemade explosives.
China arrests a man, Yang Qingpei, for killing his parents and then killing 17 neighbors in an attempt to cover up his crime in Kunming, the capital of Yunnan Province.