The Criminal Investigation Agency says that a vehicle battery used to generate electricity for pumping fuel out of a tank was the primary cause of the fuel explosion in Bint Baya on Monday.

A truck carrying gasoline exploded in Bint Baya Municipality south of Libya on Monday, killing eight people and wounding 70 others, according to the Health Ministry's update on Tuesday.

The explosion also set 11 cars on fire, according to the Ubari Criminal Investigation Office.

In its findings, the agency said the driver disconnected the truck from the tank at one o'clock in the afternoon on Sunday in anticipation of any emergency.

People began to throng around the tank by sunset to collect the spilling fuel and used a 70 amps car battery to operate the pump as an alternative to electricity in that semi-remote area, the report stated.

It confirmed that a spark from the battery triggered the fire that led to a massive explosion in the early hours of Monday.

The wounded were taken to a nearby hospital before being transformed to major hospitals for their critical condition and the lack of capacity in the local health facilities.

Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah tweeted that he ordered a crisis cell to closely pursue the incident and follow up on the wounded.