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Attack hits Xinjiang capital Urumqi | |
(35 minutes later) | |
Attackers have crashed two cars into shoppers at a market in the Xinjiang capital, Urumqi, and thrown explosives, Chinese reports say. | |
One of the vehicles exploded in the attack, which happened on Thursday morning, state news agency Xinhua said. | |
An "unknown number of people were killed and injured", with people rushed to several hospitals, Xinhua added. | |
There are periodic outbreaks of violence in Xinjiang, which is home to the Muslim Uighur minority group. | There are periodic outbreaks of violence in Xinjiang, which is home to the Muslim Uighur minority group. |
Last month a bomb attack at a station in Urumqi killed three people and injured dozens more. China blamed the attack on Uighur separatists. | Last month a bomb attack at a station in Urumqi killed three people and injured dozens more. China blamed the attack on Uighur separatists. |
Information about incidents in the region, where ethnic tensions rumble between Uighurs and Han Chinese, is tightly controlled. | |
'Multiple explosions' | |
Pictures on weibo - China's equivalent of Twitter - taken by eyewitnesses appeared to show that Thursday's attack happened at one end of a busy market street lined with stalls selling vegetables. | Pictures on weibo - China's equivalent of Twitter - taken by eyewitnesses appeared to show that Thursday's attack happened at one end of a busy market street lined with stalls selling vegetables. |
"Witnesses said two cross-country vehicles driving from north to south ploughed into people in the market at 07:50. Explosives were thrown out of the vehicles," the Xinhua report said. | |
One photo showed flames engulfing a junction and others showed at least three fire engines mobilised to put out the fire. | |
Local media said eyewitnesses heard multiple explosions. | |
Xinjiang lies in China's far west, bordering Central Asia. About 45% of its residents are Uighurs, who are Turkic Muslims. | |
The region has in recent decades seen large-scale inwards migration from Han Chinese. | |
China says it is pouring money into the region to improve livelihoods, but some Uighurs say their traditions - including religious freedom - are being crushed by tight Chinese control. | |
Tensions between the two communities erupted into violence in 2009 with riots in Urumqi that left some 200 people dead. | |
There have also been a series of violent incidents that Beijing has blamed on Uighur separatists - including an attack last year in Tiananmen Square. | |
Five people were killed when a car ploughed into pedestrians and then burst into flames. The three people who died in the car were Uighurs, Chinese authorities said. |