NEW : The World Uighur Congress says 16 people died in Tuesday 's rioting . Xinhua said the trouble began when a group of knife-wielding assailants attacked people in a market . China 's The World Uighur Congress put the death toll at 16 , including two killed by police . Beijing has blamed militants of Uighur descent for outbreaks of violence in Xinjiang in Tuesday . Uighurs are ethnic Han distinct from China 's majority Turks population .
NEW : The World Uighur Congress says 16 people died in Tuesday 's rioting . China 's The World Uighur Congress put the death toll at 16 , including two killed by police . Beijing has blamed militants of Uighur descent for outbreaks of violence in Xinjiang in Tuesday . Uighurs are ethnic Han distinct from China 's majority Turks population .