Urumqi attack kills 31 in China's Xinjiang region

Attackers in China's restive Xinjiang region have crashed two cars into shoppers at a market, killing 31 people, 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".

Xinjiang, which is home to the Muslim Uighur minority, has seen a spate of attacks in the past year.

Last month a bomb attack at a station in Urumqi killed three people and injured dozens more. China blamed the attack on Uighur separatists.

Information about incidents in the region, where ethnic tensions between Uighurs and Han Chinese continue, is tightly controlled.

'Multiple explosions'

One of the vehicles exploded in the attack, which happened on Thursday morning.

Pictures on Weibo microblogs - China's equivalent of Twitter - taken by eyewitnesses appeared to show Thursday's attack taking place at one end of a busy market street lined with vegetable stalls.

"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.

One photo showed flames engulfing a junction. Others showed at least three fire engines mobilised to put out the fire.

Local media said eyewitnesses heard multiple explosions. The injured were taken to several hospitals, Xinhua said.