French embassy in Libya hit by 'car bomb' in Tripoli

A car bomb has exploded outside the French embassy in the Libyan capital Tripoli, officials are quoted as saying.

The blast is reported to have wounded two guards and badly damaged part of the embassy building.

An AFP correspondent at the scene said part of perimeter wall was destroyed and there was damage to the building itself.

One official told Reuters news agency: "We think it was a booby-trapped car."

The explosion happened at 07:00 (05:00 GMT) in the Gargaresh area of Tripoli, destroying two cars parked near the embassy, AFP said.

One of the guards was reported to be seriously hurt, the other had lighter wounds, BBC reports.