Bombing targets rail station in western China

BEIJING, April 30 (UPI) -- A bomb detonated at the Urumqi South Station in China's western Xinjiang region on Wednesday, injuring at least 50 people.

The bomb exploded near the passenger exit around 7:10 p.m. local time. Witnesses reported the device may have been disguised in luggage left between the exit area and a bus stop.

Xinhua news agency noted that the timing of the attack followed President Xi Jinping's recent visit to the region and preceded the planned launch of three new intercity railway lines on Thursday.

During the president's visit to Xinjiang earlier in the week, he spoke of China's "strike-first approach against terrorists in the region," home to China's Uighur Muslim minority.