A 30-year old farmer from Gonyi, in central China, went on an axe rampage Wednesday and killed six people, authorities said.

His victims were two girls, ages 1 and 4, and four adults. The farmer, identified as Wang Hongbin, reportedly had a history of mental illness. He was arrested by the local police and is in custody.

Four of the victims died at the scene of the attack near a kindergarten in Gongyi City, Henan province. Two later died in the hospital.

Attacks on children are on the rise in China. In August, eight children were stabbed at a day centre for migrant workers in Shanghai. The victims were slashed with a knife by an employee of the centre.

In 2010, 15 students were massacred while at school.

Community doctor Zheng Minsheng stabbed eight children to death in March and was executive for the crime in April. In May, a similar hacking incident took place at a pre-school in Hanzhong City. The assailant killed seven children and two adults, and then killed himself.

Beijing authorities attribute the spate in crimes against children to social stress as China's economy grows at a rapid pace and the lack of care for mentally ill patients. BBC quoted a Lancet journal estimate in 2009 that 17 per cent of Chinese adults, or 173 million people, may be suffering from mental disorders, but fewer than 10 per cent of those have sought treatment.