CHENGDU - A nun died after setting herself on fire Thursday in a Tibetan county of Sichuan province, the local government said.

Qiu Xiang from a nunnery in Dawu county of Garze Tibetan autonomous prefecture, set herself on fire at about 12:50 pm at a crossing of Binhe road in the county.

Qiu Xiang, about 35 years old, was a native of the county's Tongfoshan village.

Initial police investigation showed that the case was masterminded and instigated by the Dalai Lama clique, which had plotted a chain of self-immolations in the past months for splitting motives, according to Tashi Omgyene, a local official.