Three people were found dead Sunday afternoon at a farmhouse in Ueki, Kumamoto Prefecture, and were identified Monday as a married couple living there and a trainee, police said.

Koichi Hirochi, 67, and his wife Tomiko, 63, were found lying in the garden with external injuries. The 22-year-old trainee, from China, was found lying in a barn with a rope hanging above him, the police said.

In addition to the three, Ryuko Takanashi, 55, a niece of Hirochi, was found unconscious on the premises with serious injuries, they said.

The police are investigating the details.

According to the police, the trainee, who arrived in Japan in June and began an internship at Hirochi's home in July, had no significant injuries.