(Image source: Voice of Russia/Flickr/JohnSeb)

BY TRACY PFEIFFER

ANCHOR AUSTIN KIM

You're watching multisource world video news analysis from Newsy. 

Chinese officials say at least a dozen people are dead after an outbreak of violence in the western autonomous Xinjiang province.

CNTV reports two suspects hijacked a truck, stabbed the driver, drove the vehicle into pedestrians, and also stabbed several other people.

“The violence on Saturday night took place on a food street in the city of Kashgar. Six people died on the spot and 28 others were injured. One of the suspects was killed during the clash, the other has been apprehended. Two blasts were also heard before that incident, one occurred in a minivan, while the other was on the food street where the hijacking took place.”

Many believe ethnic tensions fueled the violence. Euronews explains the situation.

“Xinjiang is home to many ethnic Muslim Uyghurs, some of whom resent the growing influence of the majority Han Chinese. Eighteen people died in an attack on a police station two weeks ago, described by the authorities as ‘terrorism.’”

The Telegraph reports -- restrictions on the practice of Islam is one point of tension, and in addition...

“Many Uighurs resent the influx of Han Chinese immigrants into Xinjiang ... saying they dominate the local economy. While Beijing has pumped increased amounts of money into the region ... unemployment among them remains high and few are employed by the state-run companies exploiting Xinjiang's rich deposits of oil, natural gas, coal and minerals.”

China’s state-run Xinhua news has been the main source of information on the attacks-- and Sky News says, it’s difficult to sort through conflicting claims.

“Official reports described the clash as a ‘terrorist’ attack... But Uighur activists called it an outburst of anger by ordinary members of the mainly Muslim ethnic minority, and accused authorities of attempting to block information on the deadly incident.”

And Voice of America explains why...

“It is not possible to independently verify claims of either ethnic group, because it is difficult for outsiders to visit Xinjiang and the Chinese government maintains tight control of telecommunications in the region.”

In 2009, clashes between the Han Chinese and Uyghur people left 200 dead and almost 2,000 injured.

Transcript by Newsy.