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Four people, including a police officer, and an unconfirmed number of rioters were killed on Monday after a police station was attacked and set on fire in Hotan, the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, local police said.

Eight people were taken hostage by the rioters. Two were later killed.

Police managed to free six hostages after killing several rioters about 90 minutes after the station was attacked, Yang Guoqiang, a senior official with the regional publicity department, said.

The attack took place just days after the second anniversary of the July 5 riots in Urumqi, in which 197 people were killed and 1,700 injured. The riots resulted in extensive damage to property and vehicles.

Police and publicity officials in Hotan refused to release any more information other than what was carried in a brief report by the Xinhua News Agency.

Hotan is located at the southern part of the autonomous region. About 96.3 percent of Hotan's population are Uygur and 3.5 percent are Han.

A source told China Daily that the attack occurred at about 12 am at the grand bazaar police station, or Naarburg Street police station, in a busy commercial district.

The grand bazaar has a variety of goods on offer, including fruit and livestock, and is a popular meeting point. The source, who declined to be named, said the two hostages killed were civilians visiting the police station.

A paramilitary police officer and a security guard were also killed. Another security guard was seriously injured, Xinhua reported. Police from other stations brought the situation under control at 1:30 pm and freed six hostages. The attack on the station is currently under investigation, Xinhua reported.

The national counter-terrorism office dispatched a team to Xinjiang.

Questions:

1. How many people were killed?

2. What happened on July 5 two years ago?

3. What percentage of Hotan’s population are Han?

Answers:

1. Four

2. riots in Urumqi

3. 3.5 percent

（中國日報網英語點津 Julie 編輯）

About the broadcaster:

Lee Hannon is Chief Editor at China Daily with 15-years experience in print and broadcast journalism. Born in England, Lee has traveled extensively around the world as a journalist including four years as a senior editor in Los Angeles. He now lives in Beijing and is happy to move to China and join the China Daily team.