Libya rebels hunt for Gaddafi in tunnels beneath Tripoli

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Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi may have fled on a golf buggy through a network of tunnels under his palatial building in Tripoli, a media report said on Friday.

The Libyan strongman's secret maze, buried beneath his palace, was discovered as jubilant rebel fighters stormed into the capital, The Sun has reported.

Rebels believe Gaddafi raced away through the underground tunnels just before they entered his sprawling compound.

One golf buggy was found smashed against a wall of the tunnel, which is believed to have secret exits all over Tripoli.

Gaddafi reportedly entered through a hatch, one of which was found by the rebels.

The concrete tunnels reportedly also housed an Olympic-sized swimming pool and a garage full of luxury cars.

Special forces deployed

The rebels are also claiming to have deployed 'special forces' units in their hunt for Gaddafi.

The rebel leadership announced it was planning to move from the eastern city of Benghazi, where the revolution to topple Gaddafi began six months ago, to govern the country from Tripoli.

Rumours of Gaddafi or his sons being cornered or sighted, swirled among excitable rebel fighters engaged in heavy machinegun and rocket exchanges. But even after his compound was overrun on Tuesday, hopes of a swift end to the war were still being frustrated by fierce rearguard actions.

The rebels' Colonel Hisham Buhagiar said they were targeting several areas to find Gaddafi: "We are sending special forces every day to hunt down Gaddafi. We have one unit that does intelligence and other units that hunt him down."