An unspecified number of inmates escaped from a prison in western Libya on Tuesday as fighting between rival armed groups spread across two cities west of the capital, Tripoli, police and local officials said.
Libya’s Tripoli-based Judicial Police Authority said the mass escape occurred at Surman prison during the unrest. It did not disclose how many prisoners had fled but said an investigation had been opened.
The authority also formed a committee to identify the escapees and begin the necessary legal procedures to recapture them.
Clashes were reported in Surman and the nearby city of Zawiya, about 40 kilometres west of Tripoli. Salem Bahr, a local leader in Zawiya, said three civilians had been killed and several others wounded.
Speaking to the Turkey-based Libya Al-Ahrar television channel, Bahr appealed for an immediate end to the violence, warning that there could be no real winner in the confrontation.
The identities of the armed groups involved and the cause of the fighting were not immediately clear.
Unverified footage shared online and broadcast by local television channels appeared to show heavy gunfire and large columns of black smoke rising over Surman and Zawiya.
Zawiya is home to Libya’s largest functioning oil refinery, which has a production capacity of about 120,000 barrels per day.
The Azzawiya Oil Company urged employees to exercise extreme caution and avoid areas affected by the fighting, as well as roads leading towards the clashes.
Surman Mayor Mohamed Abu Snina described the humanitarian situation in the city as extremely serious and said the violence had caused extensive damage.
He said relative calm later returned following the deployment of a neutral security force.
Libya has experienced persistent instability and recurring armed confrontations since the overthrow of longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.