20111030
Press TV
The bodies of dozens of Libyan civilians, including those who have been killed in a NATO airstrike, have been found in Muammar Gaddafi's hometown of Sirte.

More than 50 bodies were found under the rubble of a several-storey building flattened in a NATO airstrike, Libyan charity Jabal al-Akhdar announced.

"There are more than 50 civilians under the rubble, of women, of children. It's horrible. We can't get access. It would take bulldozers," a member of the charity, Mohammed Muftah, told AFP.

Another charity member, Ayman Ibrahim, said the "building collapsed after a NATO airstrike."

Between 65 and 70 bodies were also found on the lawn of al-Mahari hotel, some with their hands bound, and many with a bullet in the head.

National Transitional Council fighters said they were executed by Gaddafi's forces before the fall of the city.

Many Libyan civilians have been killed in the North African country since NATO began its airstrikes in March.

The military alliance had said its intervention in Libya was aimed at protecting civilians from Gaddafi forces.

NATO decided to end its mission in Libya at the end of this month, declaring it fulfilled its 'historic mandate' to protect civilians.

According to NTC chairman Mustafa Abdel Jalil, at least 25,000 people were killed and 50,000 others were wounded during the Libyan revolution.

On October 20, Gaddafi was killed in his hometown of Sirte, eight months into an uprising that put an end to his 42-year dictatorship.