Libyan leader Moammar Gaddhafi. (AP)
A New York-based human rights organization has estimated that 84 people have died after three days of anti-government protests in Libya.
Libyan security forces have been waging an escalated crackdown on the wave of anti-government protests concentrated in the impoverished east of the country.
In a statement late on Friday, Human Rights Watch based its estimate on interviews with hospital staff and witnesses.
Arbor Networks, a Chelmsford, Massachusetts-based security company, also reported that Internet traffic in the North African country abruptly ended at around midnight GMT Saturday.
Protesters are calling for the ouster of Moammar Gaddhafi, the ruler for the last 42 years. Police have responded to the protests with live ammunition, according to witnesses and medical officials.