Attack hits Xinjiang capital Urumqi

There has been an explosion in the Xinjiang capital, Urumqi, reports from China say.

The blast happened early on Thursday near a park, a report from state news agency Xinhua said. A number of people were injured, it said.

There are periodic outbreaks of violence in Xinjiang, which is home to the Muslim Uighur minority group.

Last month a bomb attack at a station in Urumqi killed three people. China blamed it on Uighur separatists,