A series of explosions tore through an open-air market in Urumqi, capital of China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region on May 22, killing dozens of people and wounding many more, CNN reported.

Two SUVs slammed into shoppers and explosives were flung out of the vehicles, which then exploded, the report quoted Xinhua as saying.

"I heard an enormous sound, then I looked out from my balcony," a resident surnamed Shan told CNN.

Shan said that the victims were "mainly people coming to trade vegetables, especially the elderly who get up early and buy vegetables to cook."

The US government condemned the attack.

"This is a despicable and outrageous act of violence against innocent civilians, and the United States resolutely opposes all forms of terrorism," White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said in a statement.