Libya Airstrike: Death toll rises to 80, UN calls for inquiry

Tripoli: An airstrike at a migrant centre based near the capital of Libya has killed about 80 people. Another 200 have been injured in an attack that occurred on Wednesday morning. UN health and emergency officials confirmed the count.

The United Nations has called for an independent inquiry into Libya airstrike. The official statement described the attack as “a war crime and odious bloody carnage”.

The air raid, involving two missiles, occurred in the early hours of Wednesday morning and left the detention centre a charred ruin.

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The airstrike left several women and children injured or dead. Hospitals in and around the capital were flooded with badly wounded victims. Local government is making sure that injured are receiving the best treatment.

The detention centre east of Tripoli was housing more than 610 people when it was hit by two airstrikes. Libya’s UN-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) and the Italian interior minister, Matteo Salvini, blamed the bombing on the air forces of Khalifa Haftar.

Khalifa Haftar, leader of the Libyan National Army (LNA), whose forces have been waging an assault on the capital for the last two months. However, LNA has denied responsibility for the attack, instead accusing Tripoli-based “militias”.

Libya has been wrecked by chaos since 2011 when longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi was killed during the Arab Spring uprising.