8 people killed in violence in China's Xinjiang region By Jethro Mullen and Kevin Wang, CNN December 30, 2013 -- Updated 0704 GMT (1504 HKT) Police officers shoot and kill eight people and arrest one other, authorities say The people attacked a police station in the volatile region of Xinjiang, they say The region is beset by unrest involving the Uyghur ethnic group (CNN) -- Police shot and killed eight people who attacked a police station in Xinjiang, a restive region in northwestern China, authorities said Monday. Nine people armed with knives threw explosives at the building and set police cars on fire, the Xinjiang government said on its official news website. One of the people was taken into custody, the statement said, describing the attackers as "thugs." The violence took place around 6:30 a.m. in Yarkant County in western Xinjiang and is under investigation, authorities said. It's the latest outbreak of deadly unrest in Xinjiang, a large, resource-rich region that is home to the Uyghurs, a Turkic-speaking, predominantly Muslim ethnic group. Earlier this month, a clash in the region left 14 Uyghurs and two police officers dead, authorities said. Chinese officials said the two police officers came under attack as they were trying to apprehend suspects. The arrival in Xinjiang of waves of Han Chinese people over the decades has fueled tensions with the Uyghurs. The government statement about Monday's clash didn't specify the ethnicity of the people who fought with police. The details of violent encounters in Xinjiang often remain murky. A report shows China's continued economic growth and reforms have improved the lives of millions in "extreme poverty."