Landmine blast kills 3 in Libya’s Benghazi

Three people working for Libya’s state electricity company were killed in a landmine explosion on Saturday in the eastern city of Benghazi, according to a Libyan spokesman.

The blast took place during maintenance works for electricity lines in Benghazi’s western district of Al-Qawarishah, Tariq al-Kharraz, a spokesman for East Libya-based Interior Ministry, told Anadolu Agency.

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A fourth worker was injured in the explosion.

Al-Qawarishah had seen deadly clashes between East Libya-based government forces and militants a year ago.

Last month, a Libyan minor was killed in a similar landmine explosion in the city.

READ: Death toll in Libya last year was 433

Libya has remained dogged by turmoil since 2011, when a bloody NATO-backed uprising led to the ouster and death of long-serving President Muammar Gaddafi after more than four decades in power.

Since then, Libya’s stark political divisions have yielded two rival seats of power — one in the city of Tobruk and another in Tripoli — and a host of armed groups of conflicting loyalties.