Reports say 400 prisoners have escaped from a detention facility near the Libyan capital Tripoli amid deadly violence between militia groups in the city.
Police say the detainees forced open the doors to exit the Ain Zara prison. for fear of their lives.
The guards were not able to prevent the breakout following riots at the jail.
Clashes between militias in the city have led to Libya’s UN-backed government to declare a state of emergency.
The incident is reported to have taken place during armed violence between rival factions around the facility, which houses only male inmates.
Many of the prisoners held at the Ain Zara prison in South-East Tripoli were reportedly supporters of the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, and had been found guilty of killings during the uprising against his government in 2011.
With the on-going declared State of Emergency in Tripoli, rival armed groups are reported to be fighting each other.
