As many as 14 people have been killed in a weekend of violence in the restive western Chinese region of Xinjiang, as deep-rooted tensions in the area again exploded into violence.
State-run Xinhua news agency reported on Sunday that four “suspects” were shot dead by police in the Silk Road city of Kashgar in north-west Xinjiang, after a night of violence on Saturday had left seven people dead and at least 22 injured. Xinhua said the police were reacting to what it called “an eruption of violence” on Sunday afternoon.
Xinhua had earlier reported that three people, including a police officer, died in a blast on Sunday, but it later quoted “witnesses” as saying the victims were “hacked to death by rioters”.