Malitan says he was driving away from the house on Wednesday afternoon when he heard a loud boom and felt the ground shake.

Forces loyal to Muammar Qaddafi have been pounding Misrata for weeks trying to seize the Mediterranean coastal city that has been the symbol of the fight against the Libyan ruler as the battlefield stabilized in the eastern half of the country.

NATO, which has not confirmed a hit on Misrata rebels, has targeted Qaddafi’s troops around the city in an effort to stop the bloodshed.