BEIJING - Police gunned down several rioters after they attacked a police station in Hotan of Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, sources with the Ministry of Public Security said on Monday.

Rioters rushed into the police station, took hostages and set fire to the station, according to the ministry. A member of the armed police, a security personnel and two hostages were killed during the ordeal, the ministry added.

The police quickly converged on the scene and shot a number of rioters while freeing six hostages, the ministry said, adding that the injured are currently hospitalized.

The national counter-terrorism office of China has dispatched a working team to Xinjiang.