Man Who Killed 19 In Japan Says He "Wanted To Get Rid Of Disabled From This World"

A knifeman who killed 19 people and injured 25 at a care home for disabled people in Japan has been identified as a former employee of the facility.

Satoshi Uematsu reportedly told police he wanted to "get rid of the disabled from this world". The 26-year-old turned himself in following the stabbing spree in Sagamihara, Kanagawa Prefecture - Japan's worst mass killing in decades.

Nineteen people are believed to have been killed, although not all have been confirmed officially, authorities said. All were "in a state of cardiac arrest", the official said. Another 25 people were wounded, 20 of them seriously.

The dead are aged between 18 to 70 and included nine males and 10 females.