Mass grave with 36 bodies found near Libya’s Benghazi

BENGHAZI, Libya – Authorities in eastern Libya have found an open mass grave in a quarry containing 36 bodies, the largest such discovery since the country’s civil war.

Spokesman Awad Aladouli of the eastern interim government’s Ministry of Interior says Sunday the bodies were found in Al-Abyar City southeast of Benghazi overnight into Friday morning.

The dead, apparently of different ages and socio-economic backgrounds, in attire ranging from athletic wear to business suits, included people shot in the head, blindfolded and with hands tied behind their backs. Investigations are ongoing, with 22 bodies identified.

Libya descended into chaos following a popular 2011 uprising that toppled and killed longtime ruler Moammar Gadhafi. The oil-rich North African nation has three rival administrations, but a multitude of militias hold actual power on the ground.