Zawiya atrocity in progress

1606: The BBC’s Jeremy Bowen in Tripoli says people in Zawiya have reported fierce battles with pro-Gaddafi troops all day – they arrived with 50 tanks and 120 pick-up trucks. “I don’t know how many are dead – Zawiya, they tore it down to ashes,” one source told our correspondent.

1609: Ibrahim, a resident of Zawiya, told Reuters: “Fighting is still going on now. Gaddafi’s forces are using tanks. There are also sporadic air strikes. … But they could not reach the centre of the town which is still in the control of the revolutionaries”.

1615: A Libyan in London who has spoken to family in Zawiya who described a heavy bombardment of the city. The family had fled to the outskirts of the city to escape and said Zawiya had been “wiped off the face of the Earth”.

1643: More from Zawiya, where appears to be under a major attack from regime troops. A witness in the city told BBC Arabic that a shower of bullets is hitting every building in the city. Rebel fighters there are claiming to have killed a high ranking pro-Gaddafi officer during the clashes.