Updated

Chinese state media say two more Tibetans have killed themselves by self-immolation, as the wave of deadly protests against Chinese rule shows no sign of abating.

The Xinhua News Agency says herder Tsering Dongdri set himself on fire Tuesday in a remote area of Xiahe county in a Tibetan part of the western province of Gansu.

It says another unidentified herder was found burned to death on Monday evening after having locked himself in the dwelling of his brother, a Tibetan Buddhist monk, in Xunhua county in Qinghai province.

The deaths bring to at least 77 the number of Tibetans who have set themselves on fire since 2009 in what rights supporters say are desperate protests against Chinese restrictions on Tibet's religion and a suffocating security presence.