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BEIJING: China said Saturday that Tibetan rioters killed 18 civilians and one police officer during protests against Chinese rule in the region's capital Lhasa, updating a previous official toll.
"Eighteen civilians and one police officer were confirmed dead by Friday night in the unrest that rocked Lhasa last week," reported Xinhua, the state news agency, citing the Tibet regional government.
"Previously, the official death toll for the innocent was 13," it said.
The report added that 241 police officers were injured, 23 seriously, and 382 civilians were injured, 58 seriously.
"Rioters set fire to seven schools, five hospitals and 120 residences," the Xinhua report said. "Eighty-four vehicles were burnt down and 908 shops were looted."
China stepped up pressure on the protesters Friday, releasing photos of wanted suspects who were captured on film in the worst rioting against Chinese rule in Tibet in nearly 20 years.
But with security forces having poured into Tibet and other Tibetan-populated areas of China, rights groups and activists warned of mass arrests and the possible torture of those taken into custody.
Tibet's exiled leaders have put the "confirmed" death toll from a week of unrest across the Himalayan region and neighbouring provinces at 99.
China previously indicated that the 13 civilians said to have been killed in Lhasa had been murdered by Tibetan mobs.
The protests began last week to mark the anniversary of a 1959 uprising against Beijing's rule of Tibet, amid widespread anger over what Tibetans say have been brutal and repressive policies. - AFP/ac
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