Shelling kills 4 civilians in Libya's Tripoli: official

Shelling

TRIPOLI, May 8 (Xinhua) -- Indiscriminate shelling on Friday hit a residential area in the south of the Libyan capital Tripoli, killing four civilians, according to a health ministry official.

"Four people of the same family were killed by indiscriminate shelling that hit Ain Zara area," Amin Hashemi, information advisor of the Ministry of Health, told Xinhua.

The shelling happened at the time of Iftar, the evening meal for breaking fasting during Ramadan, and ambulances could not reach them on time, Hashemi said.

The UN-backed government's forces accused the rival east-based army of the shelling, to which the army has not responded yet.

Friday's attack came one day after another indiscriminate shelling hit central Tripoli on Thursday.

The conflict between the east-based army and the UN-backed government has continued for more than a year over the control of Tripoli, despite repeated international calls for a ceasefire.

The fighting has killed and injured thousands of people and forced more than 150,000 to flee their homes.