An Egyptian man slit the throats of his father, mother, two nephews and seriously injured his sister while they were all sleeping using a cleaver, local media reported.

The perpetrator of the grisly crime, which took place in the Sohag Governorate, is believed to have been under the influence of drugs at the time.

According to Egyptian media, Sohag police received a report that a young man had killed his family members in their house in the village of Awlad Hamza, south of Sohag Governorate.

Preliminary investigations revealed the father was 70, the mother 65, and the two nephews were just 5 years, and 6 months old.

The suspect seriously injured his 25-year-old sister, who was transferred to Sohag University Hospital and is said to be in critical condition.

Police said that the suspect slaughtered the victims with a cleaver and did not escape the crime scene.

Investigations revealed the suspect was a drug addict and was under the influence of drugs when he committed the crimes.

He has been referred to public prosecution for legal action.