BEIJING, SEPT 9: A `CATASTROPHIC' blast has killed 60 people, injured 309 others and wrecked houses and 20 vehicles in the western suburbs of Urumqi, capital of north-west China's restive Xinjiang region, an official report said today.The Xinhua news agency said the ``catastrophic'' blast occurred when a vehicle carrying explosives blew up. Initially, it said over 100 people had been killed in the incident.The explosive-laden truck, which was travelling in the western suburbs of Urumqi, suddenly blew up at about 1930 hrs (5 pm IST), the agency quoted police as saying. The explosives being carried had been intended for disposal, it said. Local police are clearing the spot and rescuing the injured people, it said.The cause of the explosion is under investigation, the Xinhua added. However, investigators believed that the incident was an accident. However, they have not ruled out an act of sabotage.The vast, strategically-located Xinjiang region, hosts many Chinese military and nuclear facilities and borders Afghanistan, Pakistan and three former Soviet Central-Asian Republics. Xinjiang has been rocked by riots, bombings and assassinations as the Muslim Uygurs attempt to establish an independent state called East Turkestan.Beijing has cracked down on militant groups in Xinjiang and regularly executed their leaders. The most recent case was in July, when the authorities executed three men, they said were separatists linked to a ``reactionary Muslim Organisation'' involved in making bombs.
