UPDATE 2-Emergency declared at Libya's Zawiya refinery due to nearby clashes, engineers say

Libya has been plagued by unrest since the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. Zawiya has seen repeated armed ⁠clashes that have at times forced the closure of the coastal road to the ⁠Tunisian border. Reports ⁠of unrest in the city circulated online, including unverified footage of gunfire echoing across Zawiya.

An emergency ​has been declared at Libya's Zawiya ​oil refinery, west of ‌the capital ​Tripoli, after clashes erupted near the facility, two engineers told Reuters on Friday.

Zawiya, 40 km (25 miles) west ‌of Tripoli, is home to Libya's biggest functioning refinery, with a capacity of 120,000 barrels per day. The refinery is connected to the country's 300,000 bpd Sharara oilfield. The refinery ‌operator, Azzawiya Oil Refining Company, said in a statement it was forced ‌to shut the plant completely and evacuate all tankers from the port after heavy shelling linked to the clashes struck multiple locations inside the facility.

Libya's National Oil Corporation said in ⁠a statement ​that several heavy-calibre projectiles ⁠landed in various parts of the oil complex but there had been no significant damage ⁠so far. Clashes had intensified and spread into the residential area adjacent to the refinery, ​increasing risks to the facility and surrounding areas, NOC added.

There was no ⁠immediate indication of who was involved in the violence or its cause, although the city's security ⁠directorate said ​it was a "security operation against outlaws". Libya has been plagued by unrest since the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

Zawiya has seen repeated armed ⁠clashes that have at times forced the closure of the coastal road to the ⁠Tunisian border. Reports ⁠of unrest in the city circulated online, including unverified footage of gunfire echoing across Zawiya.