Rebels and residents of Libya's capital have been celebrating the capture of Col Muammar Gaddafi's Bab al-Aziziya compound. Government posters have been torn from buildings across the Tripoli.

Crowds unveiled a huge pre-Gaddafi Libyan flag in the city, chanting "Freedom, freedom"

Many wrote "Libya Free" on their hands.

Fireworks erupted over Tripoli as celebrations continued through the night.

Many people cried and flashed V-signs, believing that Col Gaddafi's decades-long reign was now finally over.

At the Libyan embassy in Philippines, diplomats and expatriates announced they had withdrawn their support from the Gaddafi regime and hung the Kingdom of Libya flag on the embassy.

The rebels renamed Green Square to Martyr's Square in Tripoli as they continued fighting for control.

Journalists remain trapped inside the Rixos hotel, which is still controlled by pro-Gaddafi gunmen.

But the mood of elation seems irrepressible, with Tripoli residents pouring into the centre of the city to celebrate.

There were also jubilant scenes in the streets of Benghazi, a rebel stronghold city in the east.