China's Ministry of Public Security (MPS) said three rioters who carried out a terrorist attack in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on Wednesday killed two people.

At around 4:50 p.m. Wednesday, the rioters entered the yard of Moyu County Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in a vehicle, attacked workers with knives and detonated an explosive device, the MPS said in a statement on Thursday.

The attack killed an official and a security worker and injured three others.

The ministry said the three rioters were shot dead at the site and the case is now under investigation.

Previous reports said the attack was carried out by four people, causing one innocent person's death.