At least 31 people have been killed in Xinjiang region’s capital, Urumqi, after attackers crashed two cars into shoppers at a market, Chinese media reports say.
They also threw explosives during the attack in the regional capital Urumqi. More than 90 people were injured, the state-run Xinhua news agency said.
The Ministry of Public Security called it a “violent terrorist incident”.
At least 31 people have been killed in Xinjiang region’s capital, Urumqi, after attackers crashed two cars into shoppers at a market (AP)
Xinjiang, which is home to the Muslim Uighur minority, has seen a spate of attacks in the past year.
Information about incidents in the region, where ethnic tensions between Uighurs and Han Chinese continue, is tightly controlled.
Pictures on Weibo microblogs – China’s equivalent of Twitter – appeared to show Thursday’s attack taking place at one end of a busy market street lined with vegetable stalls.
One of the two vehicles exploded.
A local shopkeeper told the Associated Press he heard “four or five explosions” and saw “three or four people lying on the ground”.
“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.
The injured were taken to several hospitals, Xinhua said.
The World Uyghur Congress said the authorities in the Chinese capital Beijing should not increase the crackdown in Xinjiang.
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Armed police patrol vehicles have been deployed in Beijing following three attacks at transport hubs around the country.
The 150 vehicles are tasked with “countering street terrorism and fighting severe violence”, state-run Xinhua news agency said.
Petrol purchases would also be tightened, with buyers required to register with police, reports said.
Armed police patrol vehicles have been deployed in Beijing following three attacks at transport hubs around the country
The move follows station attacks in Kunming, Urumqi and Guangzhou, and comes before the Tiananmen anniversary.
Xinhua agency said the armed police patrols would be stationed at major road junctions and manned by at least nine police officers and other assistants.
They would cover an area of 1.8 miles and would be required to respond within three minutes, Xinhua added.
Meanwhile, those buying petrol would have to explain their intentions in a move that aimed to prevent the use of gasoline “to create disturbances”, People’s Daily newspaper said.
The security upgrade comes amid heightened concern over security after the three station attacks.
March’s group knife attack in Kunming left 29 people dead and more than 100 wounded. A similar attack in Urumqi in April left three people dead and almost 80 injured.
Chinese authorities have blamed both attacks on separatists from the Muslim Uighur minority group, which lives in Xinjiang.
It is not yet clear what sparked an attack last week at Guangzhou station in which six people were hurt. One man is reported to be in custody.
In October 2013, meanwhile, five people died and dozens were injured after a car drove into a crowd near Tiananmen Square and burst into flames.
Officials said three of those who died – the occupants of the car – came from the Uighur minority group.
The Uighurs, who are ethnically Turkic Muslims, say that large-scale Han Chinese immigration into Xinjiang has eroded their traditional culture and accuse Beijing of oppressive control.
The boost in security in Beijing also comes three weeks ahead of the 25th anniversary of the crackdown on anti-government protesters at Tiananmen Square.
Several well-known activists, including journalist Gao Yu, have been detained ahead of the anniversary.
China’s Urumqi railway station in western Xinjiang region has been hit by an explosion, injuring a number of people, state media report.
The blast hit Urumqi’s south railway station on Wednesday evening, state media said. The cause is not clear, but one report said at least 50 were hurt.
Xinjiang has experienced several violent clashes over the past months.
China’s Urumqi railway station in western Xinjiang region has been hit by an explosion, injuring a number of people
President Xi Jinping visited the region this week, and has promised to step up anti-terrorism efforts.
Verifying reports from the region is difficult because the information flow out of Xinjiang is tightly controlled.
“A blast occurred at Xinjiang’s Urumqi train station at around 19.00 tonight, and there are injured personnel,” state-run newspaper People’s Daily said on its verified microblog feed.
Meanwhile, The Beijing News said at least 50 people had been injured, citing police officers.
Photos on social media, which could not be independently verified, appeared to show suitcases and debris strewn across a street after the blast.
However, several microblog posts and photos related to the explosion appeared to have been quickly deleted from Sina Weibo, China’s largest microblog platform.
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