"Hundreds of people, including monks and civilians, are in the protest."

Monasteries sealed

Tensions in Lhasa have increased in recent days as the city's three biggest monasteries were sealed off by thousands of soldiers and armed police amid the largest protests in nearly two decades.

Rights groups say this week's demonstrations were the biggest protests in Tibet since Chinese authorities declared martial law to quell a wave of pro-independence demonstrations by monks in 1989.

According to Radio Fee Asia (RFA), a US-funded radio service, the violence came as Buddhist monks started a hunger strike and two others attempted suicide.

Crackdown fears

Human rights and Tibetan exile groups fear a violent crackdown after the rare anti-Chinese protests.

Tashi Choephel, a researcher at the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Dharamsala, India, told Al Jazeera that more than a hundred monks held a peaceful demonstration on Friday.

"But they were then surrounded and cordoned off by the People's Armed Police [Chinese police] and security officials," he said.

"Afterwards, a scuffle ensued, and led to the burning of cars and shops."

Choephel said that demonstrations are happening in other Tibetan towns as well.

Troops deployed

Soldiers moved into position around the sites on the third day of protests involving hundreds of Buddhist monks.

Chinese authorities reportedly used tear gas and electric prods to disperse hundreds of protesters, and detained up to 50 monks.