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A dozen explosions in an open-air market in Urumqi, capital of China's restive Xinjiang province which is home to mostly Muslim Uighurs, on Thursday killed 31 people and injured 90.
Witnesses said two cross-country vehicles driving from north to south ploughed into people in the market at 7:50 am local time and explosives were thrown out of the cars, one of which exploded, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
As the news broke out, President Xi Jinping vowed to severely punish terrorists and spare no efforts in maintaining stability, Ministry of Public Security said, describing the incident as a "serious violent terrorist incident".
Pictures released on Weibo, akin to Twitter, showed widespread damage with several bodies lying in the street besides thick smoke raising above Urumqi's skyline.
A businessman in the market told Xinhua he heard a dozen of big bangs.
The open air morning market is located near the RenminPark in downtown Urumqi.
Ambulance and police cars parked at the entrance of the street leading to the market helped evacuate the injured.
Flames and heavy smoke were seen nearby while the area had been cordoned off after the blast.
Xinjiang, bordering Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and Afghanistan, has been plagued by violence for years.
The region has witnessed riots between native Muslim Uygurs and Han settlers from outside the province.
Uygurs, a Turkic speaking community, resent the settlements as they believe the large scale migration is marginalising them in their own homeland.
China accuses the East Turkistan Islamic Movement, an Al Qaeda affiliate, responsible for the large scale violence in and outside Xinjiang.
Last month Xinjiang was the scene of a railways station attack which killed three and injured 79 people. The attack was blamed on radical religious extremists seeking to take control of the region
Thursday’s incident was regarded as the worst violence as militants who largely confined to knife attacks used multiple explosives besides triggering a car bomb.
Last month Xinjiang was the scene of a railways station attack which killed three and injured 79 people. The attack was blamed on radical religious extremists seeking to take control of the region.
Police will step up patrols and security control over possible terrorist targets and prevent ripple effects, President Xi said in a statement.
He asked local authorities to solve the case fast, put the injured under proper care and offer condolences to families of the victims.
The Chinese government will continue to work hard in fighting terrorism and try its best to safeguard social stability, he said.
A working group led by Minister of Public Security Guo Shengkun has left for Xinjiang to supervise the investigation and handle the crisis.
Minister of public security Guo rushed to Urumqi to supervise the investigation into the explosions, China National Radio reported.
In a statement Public security chief Meng Jianzhu vowed to "destroy the arrogance of violent terrorists".