A woman who escaped the attack at Kunming Railway Station. Provided to China Daily

Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary-general, strongly condemned the attack. In a statement released on Sunday, he said there was no justification for the slaughter of innocent civilians and hoped that those responsible will be brought to justice.

The United States was shocked and condemned the brutal violence that caused heavy casualties, said the US State Department and the US Embassy in Beijing.

Through the Chinese Foreign Ministry and the Chinese Embassy in Washington, the US government extended its condolences to the deceased and voiced sympathy for the victims and their families.

The French Foreign Ministry said in a statement that France strongly condemns the bloody attack and said nothing can justify such acts.

It also extended its condolences to the victims' families and expressed solidarity with the government and the Chinese people.

The Russian President Vladimir Putin also condemned the attack.

Li Wei, director of the Anti-terrorism Research Center at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, said that although the attack may have appeared to be a random incident, it was consistent with the tactics employed by terrorists, who constantly look for ways to penetrate poorly protected regions. He noted that the attack came just days before more than 5,000 national legislators and political advisers meet in Beijing for their annual sessions.

In Urumqi, Xinjiang's regional capital, and Beijing, authorities have long been aware of the need for precautionary measures, but Kunming is relatively weak in this regard, he said, adding that the use of identical clothing and weapons suggested that the attackers had spent a long time training and preparing for the attack.

He said the fight against terrorism should be guided by an overarching plan that implements concerted measures nationwide.

"This time it was Kunming, but it's impossible to say where it the next attack will occur. We can't rule anywhere out," he said.

The injured

For some of the survivors, the injuries were both physical and mental.

On Sunday morning, Wang Xianlong, 61, lay in bed at Kunming No 1 People's Hospital after spending five hours in surgery while doctors stitched up a 20-cm-long stab wound in his abdomen.