Zhu, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Chinese Communist Party Central Committee, expressed his condolences to the relatives of those killed in the explosion.

The catastrophic explosion occurred on Friday evening when a vehicle carrying explosives set to be destroyed was traveling on Xishan Road in the western suburbs of Urumqi. It blew up suddenly, killing 60 people, injuring more than 200 others and damaging more than 20 motor vehicles and houses nearby.

Zhu, who is on an inspection tour of Xinjiang, assigned a deputy secretary-general of the State Council to Urumqi, to investigate the explosion.

On behalf of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, Zhu also encouraged the local government and hospital staff to provide excellent treatment for the injured.

The premier conveyed President Jiang Zemin's concern about the accident. Zhu said that while attending the UN Millennium Summit in New York, Jiang Zemin gave important directions on how to deal with the accident, urging serious handling of the accident and proper care for the victims.

When the explosion occurred, more than 200 police and fire fighters and 100 medical staff rushed to the scene and took part in the rescue and medical treatment.

(People's Daily)