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BLAST IN SIRTE KILLS 100
PanARMENIAN.Net
October 25, 2011 - 21:47 AMT
PanARMENIAN.Net - A fuel tank exploded in Sirte killing more than
100 people less than a week after Col Muammar Gaddafi was captured
and killed there.
"There was an enormous explosion and a huge fire. More than 100
people were killed and 50 others wounded" in Monday night's blast,
National Transitional Council commander Leith Mohammed said.
He said the scene was "a heart wrenching spectacle with dozens of
charred bodies." The accidental explosion happened as a crowd of
people waited near the fuel tank to fill up their cars.
"We are still unable to put out the fire," said Mohammed, adding that
it had been caused by a spark from a nearby electricity generator.
Some of the victims had returned to the town, the last bastion of
resistance by Gaddafi loyalists, which fell on Thursday, to inspect
the damage to their properties, the NTC commander added.
No building was spared in the weeks of fierce combat backed by daily
NATO air strikes that reduced the Mediterranean city to rubble,
a ghost town filled with the stench of death, where bodies still
littered the streets on Monday.
Some of Sirte's residents, who numbered 120,000 before the conflict,
have returned since Thursday to salvage the remains of their personal
belongings. But few are expected to stay.
Human Rights Watch has urged Libya's interim government to investigate
the killing of 53 people whose decaying bodies were found in Sirte,
charging that some of the Kadhafi loyalists appeared to have been
executed.
On Tuesday, the rights group raised concerns about the vast stockpiles
of unguarded weapons in the area around the city, and called on the
NTC to secure these sites to prevent further looting. Officials said
earlier that the ousted Libyan leader was buried at dawn in a secret
location, ending a wrangle over his rotting corpse that led many to
fear for the country's governability. His son Mutassim was buried in
the same ceremony. A few relatives and officials were in attendance,
according to a Misurata military council official.
Yesterday, the government bowed to international pressure and announced
a commission to determine how Gaddafi died after he was cornered in
a drain while trying to flee Sirte, his besieged home town.
Mustafa Abdul Jalil, the chairman of the NTC, and other officials have
said Gaddafi was killed in crossfire. Mr Jalil said: "In response to
international calls, we have started to put in place a commission
tasked with investigating the circumstances of Muammar Gaddafi's
death in the clash with his circle as he was being captured."
Mr Jalil also yesterday attempted to reassure the NTC's Western backers
that the country would be a "moderate" Muslim nation, amid concern
over its plans to introduce Islamic law. He appeared to soften his
position less than 24 hours after using the liberation ceremony to
declare that sharia would be the basis of all legislation.
His attempt at conciliation hinted at the difficulty the NTC is having
in balancing the demands of secularists and influential Islamist
factions who played a strong role in the uprising.
France and the EU warned the NTC to respect human rights after Mr
Jalil's speech on Sunday in which he singled out a ban on polygamy
as legislation which would have to be swept aside. However, Mr Jalil
said on Monday: "I would like to assure the international community
that we as Libyans are Muslims, but moderate Muslims."
Meanwhile on Tuesday in Sirte, a fuel tank explosion killed more than
100 people less than a week after the despot was captured and killed.
"There was an enormous explosion and a huge fire. More than 100
people were killed and 50 others wounded" in Monday night's blast,
National Transitional Council commander Leith Mohammed said.
He said the scene was "a heart wrenching spectacle with dozens of
charred bodies," The Telegraph reported.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
PanARMENIAN.Net
October 25, 2011 - 21:47 AMT
PanARMENIAN.Net - A fuel tank exploded in Sirte killing more than
100 people less than a week after Col Muammar Gaddafi was captured
and killed there.
"There was an enormous explosion and a huge fire. More than 100
people were killed and 50 others wounded" in Monday night's blast,
National Transitional Council commander Leith Mohammed said.
He said the scene was "a heart wrenching spectacle with dozens of
charred bodies." The accidental explosion happened as a crowd of
people waited near the fuel tank to fill up their cars.
"We are still unable to put out the fire," said Mohammed, adding that
it had been caused by a spark from a nearby electricity generator.
Some of the victims had returned to the town, the last bastion of
resistance by Gaddafi loyalists, which fell on Thursday, to inspect
the damage to their properties, the NTC commander added.
No building was spared in the weeks of fierce combat backed by daily
NATO air strikes that reduced the Mediterranean city to rubble,
a ghost town filled with the stench of death, where bodies still
littered the streets on Monday.
Some of Sirte's residents, who numbered 120,000 before the conflict,
have returned since Thursday to salvage the remains of their personal
belongings. But few are expected to stay.
Human Rights Watch has urged Libya's interim government to investigate
the killing of 53 people whose decaying bodies were found in Sirte,
charging that some of the Kadhafi loyalists appeared to have been
executed.
On Tuesday, the rights group raised concerns about the vast stockpiles
of unguarded weapons in the area around the city, and called on the
NTC to secure these sites to prevent further looting. Officials said
earlier that the ousted Libyan leader was buried at dawn in a secret
location, ending a wrangle over his rotting corpse that led many to
fear for the country's governability. His son Mutassim was buried in
the same ceremony. A few relatives and officials were in attendance,
according to a Misurata military council official.
Yesterday, the government bowed to international pressure and announced
a commission to determine how Gaddafi died after he was cornered in
a drain while trying to flee Sirte, his besieged home town.
Mustafa Abdul Jalil, the chairman of the NTC, and other officials have
said Gaddafi was killed in crossfire. Mr Jalil said: "In response to
international calls, we have started to put in place a commission
tasked with investigating the circumstances of Muammar Gaddafi's
death in the clash with his circle as he was being captured."
Mr Jalil also yesterday attempted to reassure the NTC's Western backers
that the country would be a "moderate" Muslim nation, amid concern
over its plans to introduce Islamic law. He appeared to soften his
position less than 24 hours after using the liberation ceremony to
declare that sharia would be the basis of all legislation.
His attempt at conciliation hinted at the difficulty the NTC is having
in balancing the demands of secularists and influential Islamist
factions who played a strong role in the uprising.
France and the EU warned the NTC to respect human rights after Mr
Jalil's speech on Sunday in which he singled out a ban on polygamy
as legislation which would have to be swept aside. However, Mr Jalil
said on Monday: "I would like to assure the international community
that we as Libyans are Muslims, but moderate Muslims."
Meanwhile on Tuesday in Sirte, a fuel tank explosion killed more than
100 people less than a week after the despot was captured and killed.
"There was an enormous explosion and a huge fire. More than 100
people were killed and 50 others wounded" in Monday night's blast,
National Transitional Council commander Leith Mohammed said.
He said the scene was "a heart wrenching spectacle with dozens of
charred bodies," The Telegraph reported.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress