'Massacre'
News of the rising death toll came as residents of Benghazi, Libya's second largest city, reported renewed gunfire from security forces in the city.
Sadiq al Ghiryani, a Libyan religious leader, told Al Jazeera a "massacre" was under way in the city and troops firing shots were mostly mercenaries.. Kamal Hudethifi, a judge, described the killings as
"ethnic cleansing".
The Reuters news agency said at least 50 people had been killed in Benghazi since Sunday afternoon.
Moftah, a Benghazi resident , who requested Al Jazeera use only his first name, said the city had become a "war zone" in recent days.
Residents have barricaded the streets with overturned trash cans and debris, and security forces have largely confined themselves to two compounds, though
snipers continue to target protesters, he said.
The forces who remain are "thugs" loyal to Gaddafi, Moftah said, and they are firing
high-calibre ammunition at protesters.
The eyewitness report came a day after security forces opened fire at a funeral in the eastern coastal city on Saturday, killing at least 15 people and injuring scores more.
Meanwhile, there were reports of clashes between anti-government protesters and Gaddafi supporters around the Green Square in the capital, Tripoli.
"We are in Tripoli, there are chants [directed at Gaddafi]: 'Where are you? Where are you? Come out if you're a man," a protester told Al Jazeera on phone.
There were also reports of protesters heading to Gaddafi's compound in the city of Al-Zawia near Tripoli, with the intention of burning the building down.
Protests have also reportedly broken out in other cities, including Bayda, Derna, Tobruk and Misrata - and anti-Gaddafi graffiti adorns the walls of several cities.
The Warfala tribe, one of Libya's biggest tribes, has reportedly joined the anti-Gaddafi protests.
A group of six alleged mercenaries - reportedly brought in from Tunisia and other African nations to bolster pro-Gaddafi forces - were captured and arrested by demonstrators in the city of Shahat.