An overseas rights group says a Tibetan man has died after setting himself on fire, marking the year's first self-immolation in protest of Chinese rule.

London-based Free Tibet says the man, who was in his early 20s, set himself on fire Saturday in Xiahe county in western China's Gansu province and that his body was carried back to his home village nearby. The group did not provide the man's name.

More than 90 Tibetans reportedly have set themselves on fire since March 2011. Tibetan activists say the protests stem from frustration over China's stifling security presence, restrictions on religion and the demonization of their spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama. China has accused the Dalai Lama of inciting the self-immolations.