Blast at school in Libya’s Benghazi wounds children

An explosion hit a primary school in Benghazi, Libya’s restive second city on Wednesday, wounding 12 children, security and medical officials said, according to Agence France-Presse.

The blast was due to an explosive device thrown over the exterior wall of the school during playtime, Fadia al-Barghathi, a spokeswoman for Benghazi's Al-Jala hospital said.

“The injuries [of the children] range between light and moderate,” Barghathi said.

The force of the explosion was described as “weak” by a security official who spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity.

“Witnesses saw an individual throw an explosive device over the school wall during recess,” the official said.

Benghazi, the city from which the 2011 uprising that toppled dictator Muammar Qaddafi stemmed, saw a series of attacks in recent months as the weak central government has tried to rein in former rebel brigades turned militias.

(With AFP)