'Mass Killing' Evidence Found In Libya

Sky's chief correspondent Stuart Ramsay has seen evidence in Tripoli of a mass killing which eyewitnesses have blamed on pro-Gaddafi forces.

:: Warning - video contains images of burnt bodies and skeletons

He said he had counted as many as 53 executed bodies in a burnt-out warehouse.

Ramsay was shown the building where eyewitnesses who escaped the massacre said people were murdered by pro-Gaddafi forces on August 23 and 24.

He said he had also seen the bodies of two soldiers, with their hands tied behind their backs.

"Locals believe they refused to fire on the people being held inside the warehouse, and were then murdered," he said.

Salim lives nearby and heard shouting and gunfire at the farm building which he said was next door to a military base.

He said that as many as 150 civilians were killed but around ten people escaped.

Salim said the military had not allowed anyone to enter the building recently, but local residents investigated after the troops left.

He said he believed the massacre was carried out by pro-Gaddafi forces.

The discovery of the mass grave came as fears started to grow about the humanitarian situation in Libya.

Earlier, dozens of dead bodies were found at a hospital near Tripoli.

They were patients apparently abandoned in their beds at the Abu Salim building when fighting broke out last week.

Most of the victims were men and several had been shot, according to reports.

Witnesses described seeing the decomposing bodies piled up in the building.

It was unclear when the men died or who killed them, but reports said they had darker skin than most Libyans. Colonel Gaddafi has recruited fighters from sub-Saharan Africa

International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell told Sky News that the reports from the hospital were "appalling".

"We will hold to account anyone, on either side, who commits atrocities," he said.

Mr Mitchell said that the International Criminal Court would be the correct place for dealing with those accused of war crimes.

The news came as Britain announced it would fund surgical teams and medicines to help up to 5,000 wounded Libyans.

Food and household essentials will also be supplied to almost 690,000 others.

The assistance will be provided by the International Committee of the Red Cross with support from the Department for International Development .