Situation basically under control in Urumqi: deputy mayor

There were no major protests in the city Friday, a day after massive protests that left five people dead Thursday, said Executive Deputy Mayor Zhang Hong.

Small crowds gathered "in a few locations" Friday, but soon dispersed and nobody was killed, said Zhang.

Syringe attacks carried out since Aug. 20 have resulted in panic and resentment from the public, the official said.

Suspects were caught Wednesday when attacking members of the public. They were beaten by a angry crowd and one was seriously injured.

Five people have been confirmed dead and 14 others injured and hospitalized following Thursday's protests, Zhang said.

Of the five dead, two had been confirmed as innocent civilians, while police are trying to identify the remaining three.

He said investigations showed those carrying out the syringe attacks were from the Uygur ethnic group while the attacked included Han Chinese and other ethnic groups.

By Thursday, local hospitals had dealt with 531 victims of hypodermic syringe stabbings, 106 of whom showed obvious signs of needle attacks,  Kazinform refers to Xinhuanet.

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