The United Nations has called for an independent inquiry into the bombing of a Libyan migrant detention centre that left at least 44 dead and more than 130 severely injured.

The UN secretary general, António Guterres, called for an independent investigation into the “outrageous” bombing.

UN spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said the secretary general condemned “this horrendous incident in the strongest terms”.

The UN has described the attack as “a war crime and odious bloody carnage”.

The detention centre east of Tripoli was housing more than 610 people when it was hit by two airstrikes.

The death toll, which includes many women and children, represents one of the largest single losses of civilian life since the civil war in 2011.