Major streets in Urumqi were peaceful Friday, though security was tight and most roadside stores remained closed.

The riots started in Urumqi, capital of the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, Sunday when a group of protesters demanded an investigation into the death of two ethnic Uighurs who died during a fight with Han Chinese workers at a toy factory in late June.

Chinese authorities say 156 people died in the subsequent rioting and around 1,500 people were arrested.

However, Uighur groups put the death toll as high as 840. They also say that the majority of the dead were Uighurs.

Chinese President Hu Jintao cut short his stay in Italy and left for home early Wednesday without attending the G8-G5 summit following the violence in Xinjiang region.