NTC military chief says toppled leader died of wounds following capture near his hometown of Sirte.
Muammar Gaddafi has been killed after National Transitional Council fighters overran loyalist defences in Sirte, the toppled Libyan leader's hometown and final stronghold.
"We have been waiting for this moment for a long time. Muammar Gaddafi has been killed," Mahmoud Jibril, the de facto Libyan prime minister, told reporters on Thursday in Tripoli, the capital.
Asked what would be done with Gaddafi's body, he said: "It doesn't make any difference, as long as he disappears".
Crowds took to the streets of Sirte, Tripoli and Benghazi, the eastern city that spearheaded the uprising against Gaddafi's 42-year rule in February, to celebrate the news, with some firing guns and waving Libya's new flag.
Details of the death of the toppled leader remained unclear, as new footage emerged, showing that he was alive when he was caught.
Abdul Hakim Belhaj, an NTC military chief, said Gaddafi had died of his wounds after being captured.
Earlier, Abdel Majid, another NTC official, said the toppled leader had been wounded in both legs.
Sirte falling
The news came shortly after the NTC captured Sirte after weeks of fierce fighting.
Fighters flashing V for victory took to the streets in pick-ups blaring out patriotic music.
"Thank God they have caught this person. In one hour, Sirte was liberated," a fighter said.
Al Jazeera's Tony Birtley, reporting from Sirte, said Libyans there celebrating the beginning of a "new Libya".
"This is bringing a form of closure," he said. "Gaddafi stayed true to his words, that he would stay in Libya till the end.
"It was surprising to many that he did actually stay here in Sirte - it's taken such a bombardment in the last 13 days. Nothing could survive in here for very long. I think they were starved of food, starved of ammunition, and finally there was nothing to do but to run".
Sons 'captured'
In Tripoli, Jibril said he had received unconfirmed reports that Gaddafi's most prominent son, Saif al-Islam, was trying to flee from Sirte but had been tracked down by NTC fighters who were attacking his convoy. Later reports suggested that Saif had been arrested.
Meanwhile, there were conflicting reports about the fate of another son, Mutassim Gaddafi.
Reuters reported that one of the news agency's sources had seen video of Mutassim lying on a bed and covered in blood, but alive.
Mahmoud Shammam, the NTC's information minister, said he had received reports that Mutassim had been captured alive in Sirte, but could not confirm the news.
However, Mohamed Leith, an NTC commander, told the AFP news agency that Mutassim had been killed.
"We found him dead. We put his body and that of [former defence minister] Abu Bakr Younus in an ambulance to take them to Misrata".
Footage had emerged earlier in the day of the body of Younus.
Abdul Hakim Al Jalil, commander of the NTC's 11th brigade, said that Moussa Ibrahim, the former spokesman for Gaddafi's fallen government, had been captured near Sirte.
Reaction from world leaders was swift, with Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary-general, saying Gaddafi's death marked "a historic transition for Libya".
"In the coming days, we will witness scenes of celebration as well as grief for those who lost so much," Ban said in New York.
"Now is the time for all Libyans to come together. Libyans can only realise the promise of the future for national unity and reconciliation."
The European Union said the death "marks the end of an era of despotism" and "repression from which the Libyan people have suffered for too long".
Al Jazeera's Tony Birtley reports from Sirte
"We have been waiting for this moment for a long time. Muammar Gaddafi has been killed," Mahmoud Jibril, the de facto Libyan prime minister, told reporters on Thursday in Tripoli, the capital.
Asked what would be done with Gaddafi's body, he said: "It doesn't make any difference, as long as he disappears".
Crowds took to the streets of Sirte, Tripoli and Benghazi, the eastern city that spearheaded the uprising against Gaddafi's 42-year rule in February, to celebrate the news, with some firing guns and waving Libya's new flag.
Details of the death of the toppled leader remained unclear, as new footage emerged, showing that he was alive when he was caught.
Abdul Hakim Belhaj, an NTC military chief, said Gaddafi had died of his wounds after being captured.
Earlier, Abdel Majid, another NTC official, said the toppled leader had been wounded in both legs.
Sirte falling
The news came shortly after the NTC captured Sirte after weeks of fierce fighting.
Fighters flashing V for victory took to the streets in pick-ups blaring out patriotic music.
"Thank God they have caught this person. In one hour, Sirte was liberated," a fighter said.
Al Jazeera's Tony Birtley, reporting from Sirte, said Libyans there celebrating the beginning of a "new Libya".
"This is bringing a form of closure," he said. "Gaddafi stayed true to his words, that he would stay in Libya till the end.
"It was surprising to many that he did actually stay here in Sirte - it's taken such a bombardment in the last 13 days. Nothing could survive in here for very long. I think they were starved of food, starved of ammunition, and finally there was nothing to do but to run".
Sons 'captured'
In Tripoli, Jibril said he had received unconfirmed reports that Gaddafi's most prominent son, Saif al-Islam, was trying to flee from Sirte but had been tracked down by NTC fighters who were attacking his convoy. Later reports suggested that Saif had been arrested.
Meanwhile, there were conflicting reports about the fate of another son, Mutassim Gaddafi.
Reuters reported that one of the news agency's sources had seen video of Mutassim lying on a bed and covered in blood, but alive.
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However, Mohamed Leith, an NTC commander, told the AFP news agency that Mutassim had been killed.
"We found him dead. We put his body and that of [former defence minister] Abu Bakr Younus in an ambulance to take them to Misrata".
Footage had emerged earlier in the day of the body of Younus.
Abdul Hakim Al Jalil, commander of the NTC's 11th brigade, said that Moussa Ibrahim, the former spokesman for Gaddafi's fallen government, had been captured near Sirte.
Reaction from world leaders was swift, with Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary-general, saying Gaddafi's death marked "a historic transition for Libya".
"In the coming days, we will witness scenes of celebration as well as grief for those who lost so much," Ban said in New York.
"Now is the time for all Libyans to come together. Libyans can only realise the promise of the future for national unity and reconciliation."
The European Union said the death "marks the end of an era of despotism" and "repression from which the Libyan people have suffered for too long".
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