URUMQI: Urumqi residents on Friday confronted armed police during protests against more hypodermic syringe attacks as city officials said five people had died in Thursday's protests.

Meanwhile, 14 others were injured and hospitalized in the massive protests on Thursday against the syringe attacks, the city's executive deputy mayor Zhang Hong said on Friday.

Among the five dead, two had been confirmed as innocent civilians, while police are trying to identify the rest, Zhang said.