A financial dispute had turned deadly when a man killed seven villagers in East Pangjiawa, Quyang County, Hebei province, shortly after midnight on Friday, authorities said.

Among those killed was the person that the suspect had a financial dispute with but authorities have not disclosed the nature of the dispute and how much money was involved to result to the killing.

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The suspect, surnamed Pang, also died after he was hit by a car shortly after committing the murder. The weapon used in the crime was still not disclosed as further investigation was still underway.

The government of Quyang County said in a statement that the murder occurred shortly after midnight on Friday, around 12:05 am, in East Pangjawa Village. The seven victims were all residents of the village while the suspect hailed from the neighboring West Pangjawa Village.

Local authorities were set to issue a statement to give further details about the case.

Meanwhile, a  Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region court has sentenced five persons to imprisonment ranging from seven to 15 years after they were found guilty of inciting separatism and endangering China's national security.

The official Xinjiang Daily reported on Friday that the conviction ended the trial in the Kashagar Prefecture Intermediate People's Court on Thursday.

The five people were charged in court for spreading video and audio materials that authorities said incited separatist activities. The court said the convicts also launched online preaching sites that spread religious extremism to China's children and youth.

The court decision also cited that the five people held lectures that promoted ethnic hatred and plotted crimes using knives. Over the past weeks, knife attacks have occurred in various public places in China.

TagsVillage killing, East Pangjiawa killing, East Pangjiawa murder, Hebei Province killing