Police in southern China have arrested a man who allegedly used an ax to kill a woman and four children, and severely injure two other children, the government said Sunday.

Police in Guangxi province said Liang Jiqian, 52, hacked to death a 38-year-old woman and four small children six or seven years old, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.

The report gave no further details about the other two injured children.

The attack occurred in Guangxi's Yingxue Village on Friday night, it said, without elaborating on the exact location.

Liang was arrested about an hour after the attack occurred, Xinhua said. He allegedly told police the attack was motivated by revenge because "villagers often jeered and bullied his handicapped son."

Liang's wife died from an illness two months ago, leaving him to care for a 10-year-old disabled son by himself, it said.

Grudges and personal feuds abound in China's cities and towns amid fast-paced economic and social change.

Fatal bombings, mass poisonings and other attacks are reported frequently, usually blamed on people trying to hurt business rivals or seeking revenge in often minor disputes.