China executes mass murderer

China has executed one of the worst serial killers in the country's history - a man convicted of 67 murders.

Yang Xinhai, 38, was found guilty earlier this month of a three-year killing spree, after a one-hour trial.

It said he used a hammer to carry out some of the attacks in four provinces, sometimes murdering entire families.

Some reports suggested he was angry after being rejected by his girlfriend, but others said he was motiveless killer who simply enjoyed death.

He had waived his right to an appeal, after being sentenced in the city of Luohe, in the province of Hunan.

He was also convicted of 23 rapes.

State media did not say how he was executed; death sentences in China are carried out either by lethal injection or a bullet in the head.

Yang - a migrant worker - was arrested in Cangzhou City in Hebei last November, during a routine inspection of entertainment venues.

He later admitted the crimes in the provinces of Henan, Anhui, Shandong and Hebei, and police also matched his DNA with that found at several crime scenes.

In an interview shown on China's Central Television after his trial, Yang gave no real motive for the killing spree that had begun after he was released from a labour camp for rape in 2000.

"When I killed people I had a desire (to kill more). This inspired me to kill more. I don't care whether they deserve to live or not. It is none of my concern," Yang said.

"I have no desire to be part of society. Society is not my concern," he said.