A civilian from the Uygur ethnic group who was injured in a bombing in Kuqa on Sunday died in hospital yesterday, a local official said.

Aksu Prefectural Commissioner Hasimu told a press conference that the Kuqa bombers were from the Uygur ethnic group, and some of them came from Kuqa county, 740 km from the regional capital of Urumqi.

He said the terrorist activities were carefully planned, but stressed that ethnic conflict was not the reason for the attacks.

Ethnic relationships and economic development are both good in Kuqa, which has a population of around 400,000, said the official.

It was "unclear" wheather the bombings in Kuqa has any conncetion with that of Kashi, said Hasimu.

Also no clear evidence was?found suggesting the connection between bombings in Kuqa County, west China's Xinjiang and the East Turkistan separatists.

A series of explosions occurred in the early hours of Sunday in supermarkets, hotels and government buildings in Kuqa, killing a security guard and injuring two policemen, two civilians and a security guard, Xinjiang public security department said.

Eight bombers were shot dead by police while two others died in suicide bombings, the department said.

Police arrested two bombers and are searching for three others who remain at large.

Thirteen civilians were rescued and dozens of unexploded bombs were seized.

A 15-year old female suspect, who was injured while throwing explosives in Kuqa, has been hospitalized, according to local police sources.

The teenager, Hailiqiemu Abulizi, was abandoned by her accomplices who drove away after seeing her injured by her own bombing.

Local police immediately rushed the girl to a local hospital where she is now in a stable condition.

(Xinhua News Agency August 12, 2008)