The Libyan government said on Monday that 19 civilians were killed in a NATO air strike on the home of one of Muammar Gaddafi's top officials, a day after NATO admitted killing civilians in a separate aerial attack.

Libyan officials took reporters to Surman, 70km west of Tripoli, to the site of what they said was a NATO air strike on the home of Khouildi Hamidi, a member of Libya's 12-strong Revolutionary Command Council, led by Gaddafi.

NATO acknowledged on Sunday for the first time that it had killed multiple civilians in Libya, when a strike intended to hit a missile site erred and destroyed a house in Tripoli.

The Libyan crisis continues to escalate as reports of fierce fighting and civilian casualties emerge daily.

Al Jazeera's Caroline Malone reports.