(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-05-14 23:55

VIENNA  -- An Austrian man killed five family members with an axe Tuesday before giving himself up the following day, police said.

The Austrian man, 39, first killed his wife and seven-year-old daughter in Vienna and later drove to the cities of Linz and Ansfelden to kill his father-in-law and parents.

The victims' bodies have been recovered, police said, adding that the incident was still being investigated.

Such kinds of family tragedy have taken place many times in Austria since 2004, according to the Austrian media.

In May 2004, a 61-year-old Austrian shot dead his 58-year-old wife and his 19-year-old daughter before shooting himself.

In January 2006, a 50-year-old father killed four of his five daughters.

The main motivations for the cases are relationship breakdown, psychological problems or economic trouble, experts say.