Rioters burn 261 vehicles in Xinjiang Urumqi

Shanghai, July 8 (Gasgoo.com) The riot on Sunday (July 5) in Urumqi, capital of China's westernmost province - Xinjiang Uyghur autonomous region - left at least 156 dead and over 1,000 injured. Rioters burned 261 motor vehicles, including 190 buses, at least 10 taxis, and two police cars, state media reported.

Urumqi top officials told reporters Tuesday that apart from the 156 confirmed dead, 1,080 people were injured in the deadly violence that erupted Sunday night. Some of the dead bodies were retrieved from Urumqi's streets and lanes, while all the others were confirmed dead at hospitals.

The riot flared after a demonstration of Uyghur people took to the city's streets in protest at a recent clash between Han Chinese and Uyghur factory workers in Shaoguan city in the southern province of Guangdong, eyewitnesses said.

Officials said rioters burned 261 motor vehicles, including 190 buses, at least 10 taxis, and two police cars, with vehicles still visibly aflame on the city streets early Monday.

Rioters destroyed 203 shops and 14 homes. State broadcaster CCTV showed that two rows of new cars were burned to skeletons in an auto dealership gutted by fire.

A 4S store of Geely Auto was heavily attacked during the riot, with 33 new vehicles burned, 20 others damaged, which caused losses of about 3 million yuan ($439,000). This destroyed 4S store is one of Geely's three dealerships in Urumqi city.

Xinhua News Agency said vehicles from its Xinjiang Bureau were also damaged as rioters tried to smash the windows with clubs. A driver from Xinhua said he sent four injured people to hospital Sunday night and the seat of his car is still stained with blood.

Xinhua said more than 1,000 suspects had been taken into custody, and police have tightened security in downtown Urumqi streets and at key institutions. Daily life and work have returned to normal in the western city of China, Xinhua said.