UPDATE - Death toll from Tripoli clashes rises 55

UPDATES WITH DEATH TOLL, CHANGES IN HEADLINE, DECK, LEDE, EDITS THROUGHOUT

By Walid Abdullah

TRIPOLI, Libya (AA) – The death toll from armed clashes in the Libyan capital of Tripoli that erupted late on Monday has risen to 55, officials said on Wednesday.

The Emergency Medicine and Support Center said 146 people were also injured in the fighting between the Special Deterrence Force affiliated with the Presidential Council and the 444th Brigade of the National Unity Government.

"The center's crews were able to evacuate 234 families from the areas of the clashes," it said.

The clashes erupted after Mahmoud Hamza, commander of the 444th Brigade, was arrested by the Special Deterrence Force at the Mitiga International Airport.

Mohamed Hammouda, spokesman for the National Unity Government, told Anadolu earlier that Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh had agreed with local figures in the Souq al-Jumaa area to a cease-fire by handing over the commander to a neutral party.

Souq al-Jumaa is one of the largest areas in the capital, and the commander of the Special Deterrence Force, Abdul Raouf Kara, hails from it.

*Writing by Mahmoud Barakat and Alperen Aktas