The death toll has risen to 33 after a twin car bombing near a mosque in a residential area of the Libyan city of Benghazi.

Local health official Hani Belras Ali said 47 other people were wounded in the Tuesday night attack in the Salmani area. No group has yet claimed responsibility.

Benghazi police said the attackers timed the second bomb to go off as residents and medics gathered to evacuate the wounded from the first blast, aiming to cause a maximum number of casualties.

The United Nations has condemned the bombings, saying that direct or indiscriminate attacks on civilians are prohibited under international humanitarian law and constitute war crimes.