Three people were killed when a Libyan fighter jet crashed and exploded during an event to honour a pilot killed in another jet crash last week.

Nine people were also injured when the Operation Dignity war plane came down in a Tobruk neighbourhood on Tuesday, Reuters reports.

The crash is believed to have been caused by technical failures.

The Mig jet went down less than one kilometre from the seat of Libya's parliament after conducting a flyover at Tobruk Air Base.

The pilot has been identified as Rafa Al-Farani, who was aged in his fifties and lived in Tobruk with his family.