People look at the remnants of a car at the scene of a car bomb in Benghazi, Libya, November 21, 2016. REUTERS/Stringer

BENGHAZI, Libya (Reuters) - At least three children were killed and 20 people wounded by a blast in the Libyan city of Benghazi on Monday, witnesses and a medical official said.

A Reuters reporter saw billowing smoke and flames at the site of the explosion near the city’s Jala hospital, which destroyed several vehicles, scattered the body parts of victims and shattered windows in nearby buildings.

Witnesses said the blast had been caused by a car bomb though Abdulhakim Matouk, a spokesman for Libya’s eastern government, said initial investigations suggested it was caused by projectiles fired from nearby. A hospital official said the bodies of three children had been received.

Benghazi has been the scene of fighting between the Libyan National Army (LNA) and Islamist-led opponents for more than two years. The LNA has made major advances in this year, but faces pockets of resistance in parts of the city.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility. Several car bombings in recent weeks targeting the LNA and its supporters have been claimed by the Benghazi Revolutionaries Shura Council (BRSC), the main group fighting the LNA, and by Islamic State.

Benghazi has seen some of the heaviest fighting in Libya’s conflict, which developed as rival factions battled for power and oil wealth following the revolution that toppled Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

The LNA drove its opponents late last week from the long-contested southern district of Guwarsha and claimed progress in its campaign to capture the besieged district of Ganfouda.</s>BENGHAZI, Libya — A car bombing outside a hospital in Libya's eastern city of Benghazi killed three people and wounded 26 on Monday, the hospital said, the third attack on the medical facility this year.

The car detonated in the parking lot of Jalaa Hospital, which is located in the heart of the city, at a time when streets around the facility were full of children who had finished school for the day.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.

Mohammed Zwai, a hospital official, said the death toll is expected to rise as several of the wounded remain in critical condition. A police spokesman, Walid al-Urfi, said the car bomb was detonated by remote control.

Benghazi, Libya's second-largest city, has been the scene of more than two years of fighting between forces loyal to renegade military commander Khalifa Hifter and Islamic militants, including an Islamic State affiliate.

Last week, Hifter's forces expelled Islamic militants from their key stronghold in the city but deadly fighting continues in other areas.

Libya has been mired in conflict since the 2011 uprising that toppled and killed longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi, with rival parliaments and governments emerging in the east and west, each backed by an array of militias and tribes.

Hifter answers to the internationally-recognized parliament based in the country's east. That parliament does not recognize the Western-backed government in the capital of Tripoli, in the country's west.

Further adding to Libya's chaos has been the emergence of the Islamic State affiliate in the North African country. Forces loyal to the Tripoli government are battling Islamic State militants in the central coastal city of Sirte.</s>Benghazi, birthplace of Libya's 2011 revolution which toppled longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi, has been the scene of daily clashes for the past two years. By Abdullah Doma (AFP/File)

Benghazi (Libya) (AFP) - A car bomb attack near a hospital in Libya's second city of Benghazi killed at least four people and wounded 13 others on Monday, a medical source said.

The source, asking not to be named, said the attack took place in front of the coastal city's Al-Jalaa hospital and he warned that the death toll could rise.

It was not immediately clear if the attack was a suicide bombing, said an officer in Libya's special forces, Mohamed al-Jali.

Benghazi, birthplace of Libya's 2011 revolution which toppled longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi, has been the scene of daily clashes for the past two years between armed forces of Marshal Khalifa Haftar and jihadists holding onto pockets of the city.

Five years after the revolution, the country is embroiled in violence and political chaos as militias and two rival administrations vie for power.</s>A Reuters reporter saw billowing smoke and flames at the site of the explosion near the city's Jala hospital, which witnesses said had been caused by a car bomb. A hospital official said the bodies of three children had been received.

Benghazi has been the scene of fighting between the Libyan National Army (LNA) and Islamist-led opponents for more than two years. The LNA has made major advances in this year, but faces pockets of resistance in parts of the city.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility. Several car bombings in recent weeks targeting the LNA and its supporters have been claimed by the Benghazi Revolutionaries Shura Council (BRSC), the main group fighting the LNA, and by Islamic State.

Benghazi has seen some of the heaviest fighting in Libya's conflict, which developed as rival factions battled for power and oil wealth following the revolution that toppled Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

Monday's powerful blast destroyed about 10 vehicles, scattering body parts of victims and shattering windows in nearby buildings.

It came after the LNA drove its opponents late last week from the long-contested southern district of Guwarsha and claimed progress in its campaign to capture the besieged district of Ganfouda.
A car bomb in Benghazi kills three children and injures 20 others.