Tripoli hospital morgue found 58 unidentified corpses amid militia collapse and ongoing clashes.

At least 58 unidentified bodies were discovered on Monday in a Tripoli hospital that had been under the control of a militia whose leader was recently killed, according to a statement from the Interior Ministry.

The bodies were found stored in the morgue refrigerator at Abu Salim Accidents Hospital, located in the densely populated Abu Salim neighbourhood. The discovery followed a report issued by the hospital, the ministry confirmed.

Photographs released by the ministry showed corpses in varying states of decomposition, placed on steel carriers and beds. The images, which featured numbered remains with censored faces, also showed that some of the bodies had been burned. An investigation is underway to determine the identities of the deceased.

“To date, 23 corpses have been examined. All necessary legal procedures have been carried out, including documentation of data and the collection of samples,” the ministry noted in its statement.

Abu Salim had served as a stronghold for the militia group known as the Stabilisation Support Apparatus (SSA), whose leader, Abdulghani Kikli—popularly known as Ghaniwa—was killed under unclear circumstances on May 14.

His death triggered the rapid collapse of the SSA at the hands of rival factions aligned with the internationally recognised Prime Minister Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah of the Government of National Unity (GNU).

Following these developments, Prime Minister Dbeibah ordered the dismantling of armed groups on Tuesday, prompting the most intense fighting Tripoli has seen in years. The United Nations reported that the clashes resulted in the deaths of at least eight civilians.

The discovery of the 58 bodies marks the second such finding in recent days. On Saturday, authorities reported that nine unidentified corpses had been found in the morgue refrigerator of Al-Khadra Hospital, another SSA-controlled medical facility in the Abu Salim area.

The Interior Ministry stated that the militia had failed to report the presence of the corpses to the appropriate authorities.

On Saturday, Prime Minister Dbeibah reiterated that the dismantling of militias was part of an "ongoing project," as a ceasefire following last week’s clashes continued to hold.

The GNU also released a video on Monday showing bulldozers razing the so-called 77 Camp, one of the SSA’s largest facilities. The site is now being converted into a national park.

Libya has experienced chronic instability since a NATO-backed uprising in 2011 led to the overthrow of longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi. The country became divided in 2014 between competing eastern and western factions. Although large-scale warfare has largely paused since a truce was reached in 2020, tensions and violence persist.