Türkiye on Saturday said it expected an explanation for a deadly fire that erupted in China's Xinjiang province in the northwest of the country on the same day.

"We expect the reasons for the fire to be made public," the Foreign Ministry said.

"We are deeply saddened to learn that a fire which broke out in Urumqi, capital of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China caused loss of lives and injuries. We extend our condolences and wish a speedy recovery to the injured," the ministry said in a statement.

The fire broke out in a residential building in Urumqi that was reportedly under a coronavirus lockdown. Ten people were killed and nine others were injured.

Large parts of the Xinjiang region and its capital, Urumqi, have been under lockdown for over 100 days.

Several residents said on social media that the restrictions had hampered rescue efforts, with some people struggling to escape the burning building due to locked doors.

Some also left their apartments too late, or not at all, out of fear of violating the lockdown restrictions, according to the reports.

Meanwhile, the fire brigade was said to have arrived fairly late due to fences and cars that had blocked the way.

The Chinese leadership has been criticized for years for its treatment of the Uyghur minority in the region. Human rights activists say hundreds of thousands of people have been put into re-education camps there.

China is currently seeing its highest COVID-19 case numbers since the beginning of the pandemic. On Saturday, the health commission in Beijing reported a record number of almost 35,000 new cases.