Islamabad  - A man killed his brother and nine other members of his family in Pakistan's eastern Punjab province Thursday over an inheritance dispute, police said.

The gruesome incident took place in Sialkot district, located some 150 kilometres north of the provincial capital Lahore.

Zafar Hussain went to his elder brother's home, armed with a knife and an axe, at around 3 am (2100 GMT Wednesday) and slew the entire family, police chief Mohammad Amin said.

The dead were identified as Javed Hussain, his wife and eight children, aged between six months and 10 years.

"All victims suffered multiple stab wounds and hard blows with a blunt weapon," Amin told the German Press Agency dpa on the phone.

Amin said police were hunting the killer after arresting his wife and son for their alleged involvement in the homicides.

Television footage showed a large crowd of locals outside the crime scene, as relatives mourned the killings.

A preliminary investigation revealed the two brothers developed serious differences over 16 hectares of land, which their father recently distributed equally among four of his sons.

Dozens of people are killed across Pakistan every year in violent disagreements relating to inheritance issues. (dpa)