Family dispute over money blamed for 19 murders in China village

BEIJING (Reuters) - A man killed his parents in a squabble over money in a remote Chinese village before killing 17 neighbors to try to cover his tracks, state media said on Friday, an unusual crime in a country in which such mass killings are extremely rare.

Police in the southwestern province of Yunnan, where the crime occurred, have already arrested Yang Qingpei for the murders.

The official Xinhua news agency said a police investigation had found that Yang, who normally worked in the provincial capital Kunming, returned to his home village at midday on Wednesday.

In the evening, a disagreement erupted after he asked his parents for money, Xinhua said, citing police.

"After killing his parents, he was worried his crime would be discovered and killed 17 of the neighbors," it said.

He was arrested on Thursday in Kunming and the investigation was continuing, Xinhua said, without providing other details.

State media has said the victims were members of six families.

(Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Nick Macfie)

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