22 people were killed in a day of militia fighting for control of the international airport in the capital Tripoli has , 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.

The violence across Libya has prompted the closure of several foreign missions and the withdrawal of diplomats. On Saturday a Greek naval frigate evacuated embassy staff and nearly 200 people from Greece, China and other countries.

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