A deadly clash disrupted Xinjiang's celebration of a major Muslim Holiday on Sunday but the incident was not reported until 48 hours after, and some of the details still remain vague.

Chinese authorities confirmed that police fatally shot dozens of people in the northwestern province of China but it was only reported almost 48 hours after the incident occurred.

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Xinhua news agency released a report on the incident late Tuesday about hundreds of axe-wielding people attacking government and police establishments in Xinjiang, including the nearby town Huangdi, the Los Angeles Times detailed.

Some tourists said Chinese authorities cut internet and phone services in the area after the attack. The main reason for the delay in reporting the violent clashes in Xinjiang could not be determined.

Other details of the mob attack could not be confirmed because of the restrictions on the flow of information. Some police and government personnel said they were not allowed to release information on the attack, CBC News said.

According to Xinhua, the mob destroyed and burned more than 30 police vehicles and even attacked innocent civilians along their way on Sunday evening. Police responded and shot down dozens of the assailants.

Based on unconfirmed eyewitness accounts, the violent clash left 13 police and 20 attackers dead. The casualties include local Uighurs and Han Chinese, according to a BBC News report, but an earlier report cited a Chinese official saying 13 Han Chinese died in the incident.

For years, tensions existed between the local Uighurs and the Han Chinese migrants. Most of the clashes stem from the Uighurs' opposition of Chinese rule in the county.

Authorities blame Uighur fundamentalists for a series of bomb and knife attacks in the country that left over 150 people dead in the past year.

According to The Uyghur American Association, an activist group based in the U.S., the Muslim minority group was protesting against China's crackdown on their religious and cultural practices as well as the lethal enforcement of law in the region.

TagsXinjiang, Muslim, Los Angeles Times, Xinhua, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Han Chinese, Uighurs, BBC News, Uyghur American Association, U.S.