Supplies of natural gas to Italy via an underwater pipeline linking the country to Libya were suspended on Tuesday, Italian energy company Eni said.
"Following the temporary suspension of some gas activities in Libya, supplies of natural gas from Libya through the Greenstream pipeline have been suspended," Eni said in a statement.
"Eni is still able to meet its customers' demand for gas," the Italian state-controlled company said, noting that Libya supplies around 10 per cent of Italy's gas needs, dpa reported.
The announcement came as a popular uprising against Gaddafi's four-decade long rule appeared to intensify, with scores of people believed to have been killed in the North African nation - a situation that has prompted Eni and other foreign companies to evacuate staff.
In an earlier statement, Eni said 34 employees would remain in Libya, some in the operating plants and others in the capital Tripoli.
Running for some 540 kilometres from Mellitah in Libya to Gela, in Sicily, Greenstream was inaugurated in 2004 by Gaddafi and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.
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