Fire hits sacred Tibetan monastery

London: A fire broke out at the most important shrine in Tibetan Buddhism - the Jokhang Monastery in Lhasa, reports BBC.

Footage posted online showed flames billowing from the roof and what appeared to be at least one gutted pagoda.

Chinese state media said the blaze started late on Saturday and was soon put out. No casualties were reported.

The extent of damage to the sprawling compound is unclear. State media said there was no damage to cultural relics.

Tibet, the remote and mainly-Buddhist territory known as the "roof of the world", is governed as an autonomous region of China.

The Jokhang monastery is more than 1,000 years old and is listed as a Unesco World Heritage Site.

Reports say that Chinese authorities quickly tried to block footage and images of the fire appearing on social media. Beijing maintains tight control of news reports from Tibet, where Buddhist sites have been a focal point for separatist unrest in the past.

 

Fire hits sacred Tibetan monastery

London: A fire broke out at the most important shrine in Tibetan Buddhism - the Jokhang Monastery in Lhasa, reports BBC. Footage posted online showed flames billowing from the roof and what appeared to be at least one gutted pagoda. Chinese state media said the blaze started late on Saturday and was soon put out. No casualties were reported. The extent of damage to the sprawling compound is unclear. State media said there was no damage to cultural relics. Tibet, the remote and mainly-Buddhist territory known as the roof of the world, is governed as an autonomous region of China. The Jokhang monastery is more than 1,000 years old and is listed as a Unesco World Heritage Site. Reports say that Chinese authorities quickly tried to block footage and images of the fire appearing on social media. Beijing maintains tight control of news reports from Tibet, where Buddhist sites have been a focal point for separatist unrest in the past.