A day of militia fighting for control of the international airport in the capital Tripoli has killed 22 people, a spokesman for Libya's interim government said.

In a statement early today, it said "heavily armed groups" have shelled "civilian targets" endangering thousands of citizens and leaving hundreds of families displaced.

The 22 people were killed yesterday alone, the latest casualties in fighting that has claimed more than 200 lives in recent weeks.

Libya is in the grip of its worst violence since the 2011 uprising that toppled long-time dictator Muammar Gaddafi.

Islamist militias from the coastal city of Misrata have led the assault on airport, seeking to seize it from militias from the mountain town of Zintan.

The fighters are mainly former rebels who toppled Gaddafi with the aid of Nato airstrikes.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.