TRIPOLI: Eight recruits were killed and several others wounded in an accidental blast at a training center for security forces in western Libya, an official told AFP on Monday.

The explosion went off during a live-fire exercise late on Sunday in Zawiya, said the official from the city’s security directorate.

“The accidental explosion last night killed eight recruits and wounded others at a security training center,” the official said.

The recruits had joined a security force attached to the prime minister’s office.

They “were conducting live-fire training at one of the agency’s sites on the outskirts of Zawiya when a piece of ammunition used during these exercises exploded, killing and wounding several of them,” the official said.

An investigation has been launched into the “tragic” incident, the official added.