BEIJING (AP) — Villagers engaged in a dispute with a property developer detained several construction workers and burned four of them to death, local authorities said Thursday, in one of the most violent land conflicts in recent years to strike the country’s vast rural hinterland.

A statement issued by the municipal government of Kunming said eight people, including two villagers, died in the violence Tuesday in the southwestern province of Yunnan, confirming earlier reports circulating on the Internet along with photos of bound detainees and charred bodies.