Clashes between rival militias have erupted in western Libya leaving at least 14 people dead and 80 more wounded in the last 24 hours, said Libya's ruling National Transitional Council on Tuesday.

"Four people were killed and 35 others were wounded in Zuwara," the interim governing authority said in an online statement on Tuesday. Zuwara is 100 kilometers (60 miles) west of Tripoli, close to the country's border with Tunisia. It is a vital supply route for Libya.

"Ten people were killed and 45 others were hurt in the (nearby towns) of Regdalin and Jamil," added the NTC.

It said clashes were continuing but that a delegation had been sent to the troubled region to try and "calm the situation and solve the problem."

Fighting over loyalties

The fighting broke out after former rebels from Zuwara were detained as they attempted to pass through the town of Jamil. Although the interim government then brokered a deal for their release, armed men from Zuwara then launched an attack.

The situation has been constantly threatening to spill over in Zuwara since the death of the country's former leader Moammar Gadhafi. Tensions have further frayed in the area recently over allegations that residents in Jamil and the nearby town of Regdalin supported Gadhafi during the country's 2011 conflict.

"The situation is critical in Zuwara. It is being hit by rockets fired from the (nearby) towns of Regdalin and Jamil," said Othman Ben Sassi, a member of NTC.

Struggling to get to grips

Libyan Interior Minister Fawzi Abdelali said on Tuesday that the government was seeking to rein in the fighting.

"The interior ministry has sent a force of 200 men towards the region," he said.

The violence follows similar turmoil in the southern city of Sabha, which left more than 147 dead and 395 wounded in a week, before the government was able to implement a cease-fire.

The interim government has struggled to impose its authority in a country awash with weapons and at the mercy of youthful former rebels who fought against Gadhafi ever since it claimed victory in the rebellion that concluded with the leader's death last October.

sej/acb (AP, AFP, Reuters)