Authorities say five people have died in a shooting in China's Inner Mongolia region.

The Kailu county public security bureau said an individual shot and killed five people Monday afternoon before being apprehended by police.

The bureau did not say whether anyone else was injured.

Gun crime is rare in China, where private firearm ownership is almost entirely forbidden. But guns can be purchased on the black market through online dealers.

Regulations introduced in 2014 mandate that police officers carry guns — a change after decades in which Chinese police were unarmed.