DHARAMSHALA, August 28: A Tibetan woman has died after setting herself on fire in protest against Chinese rule late Thursday night in Sankhog township in Sangchu County, Kanlho Tibet Autonomous Prefecture, reported the Tibet Times.

Tashi Kyi, a Tibetan woman around 55 years old from Ngura village, Sankhog township, set herself ablaze late last night before local Tibetans tried to extinguish the flames on her body. She breathed her last around 3AM (local time), sources told Tibet Times.

Chinese police arrived this morning at her home and forcibly took her body away despite Tibetans' appeal to let the family perform the last rites.

There is currently no information whether she had shouted any slogans while carrying out the fiery protest.

Kyi is the 7th Tibetan to resort to self immolation as a form of protest this year alone and 143rd since 2009.

According to Voice of America's Tibetan service, local Tibetans say "an incident that occured during the day of 27th, when over 150 officials and security personnels arrived in Ngura village to claim rights on one of their houses, and destroyed its properties for official use" might have sparked off Kyi's protest. The police have arrested the owner of the house after beating him up. "Tibetans in the region also believe Chinese oppression of Tibetans to be the cause of Kyi's sacrifice, and have lighted butter lamps to show solidarity," said VOA.