At least seven people died following two separate blasts on Saturday night in the City of Kashgar, northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, confirmed local authorities.
The first blast occurred at about 10:30 pm Saturday from a minivan. Almost at the same time, another explosion was heard from a food market, where thugs hijacked a car after stabbing its driver, and rammed into several pedestrians on their way to escape.
Sources from a local hospital said six people had died and doctors are trying to save the injured who were hospitalized after the blasts.
It is not yet known how many people were injured in the blasts and their conditions.
Police are hunting for the fugitives.
Nur Bekri, chairman of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region government, has called for people to unite in the face the weekend’s violent attacks in Kashgar, northwest China, while visiting the injured.
“These violent terrorists are the enemy of people from all ethnic groups,” he said. “We should unite and protect the people’s safety and property.”
While visiting some of the injured in hospital, Nur Bekri vowed to crack down on the instigators of such attacks that threaten people’s safety and imperil the national interests.
“The terrorists must receive severe legal punishment,” he said.
Talking with army personnel and armed police officers who helped apprehend the suspects, he said, “We should be clear about the difficult nature of the anti-separatism work. The battle against separatist activities will be tough and might go on for a long time.”
On Saturday night, two people in Kashgar, an oasis city in the southern part of Xinjiang, hijacked a truck after killing the driver and drove it into a crowded street. The suspects then jumped out of the truck wielding knives and hacked bystanders randomly.
Sunday afternoon saw a second attack in the city, when six civilians were killed, 15 others — including three policemen — were injured after the attackers set fire to a restaurant and started randomly attacking civilians with knives.
Police shot dead five suspects on Sunday and two on Monday in relation to the attacks.
Edited by Yang Jingmin