ANKARA/TRIPOLI, Libya

Libya’s Interior Ministry said Saturday that nine unidentified corpses were discovered in an abandoned morgue at the Hadra State Hospital in the Abu Salim district in Tripoli.

It noted that the security at the hospital had previously been under the control of the Stability Support Apparatus, a militia group operating in the capital.

The Criminal Investigation Department launched an inquiry under the direction of the public prosecutor.

The bodies, found in a long-abandoned facility, were in an advanced state of decomposition due to prolonged electricity outages.

Authorities also said neither the Stability Support Apparatus nor the hospital administration had officially reported the presence of the bodies, according to law enforcement and prosecution records.  

Incidents in Tripoli

Clashes erupted Monday in Tripoli following the death of Abdel Ghani al-Kikli, who headed the Stability Support Apparatus.

Shortly after al-Kikli’s death, the government announced that the 444th Brigade, affiliated with the Ministry of Defense, had seized the Stability Support Apparatus' headquarters in the Abu Salim neighborhood of Tripoli and taken control of the area.

In a May 13 statement, Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh congratulated members of the army and police for success in establishing state authority in events that took place in Tripoli.

Clashes began in the early hours of May 14 between the Rada, which is considered one of the powerful militia groups in the capital, and government forces, and smoke was seen rising from buildings in parts of Tripoli.

The Defense Ministry later that day announced a ceasefire had been declared in all conflict zones in Tripoli as part of efforts to protect civilians.

An official from Health Affairs at the Tripoli municipality, Mohammed Abdel Wahab, announced that six people died and 70 were injured in the clashes.