Three dead, 79 injured in bomb and knife attack

Security is on heightened alert and riot police on standby in China's western province of Xinjiang after a deadly blast.

Three people were killed and 79 were injured when attackers used knives and detonated explosives at Urumqi's south railway station.

The explosion was centred around this luggage abandoned near the station exit.

It's the second time this railway station has been targetted in two months.

Beijing blames this violence on separatists from the mainly Muslim Uighur minority.

The explosion happened as China's President Xi Jinping was wrapping up a tour of the region.

During his trip he stressed the need for tough policing to fight "terrorists".

The spokesman for the World Uighur congress said the government would now have carte blanche to arrest and repress many innocent Uighurs.

(SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) SPOKESMAN FOR WORLD UYGHUR CONGRESS, DILXAT RAXIT SAYING:

"When Xi Jinping went there, he didn't do anything to ease the