Former Libyan oil executive Ganem dies in Austria

Vienna: Libya's former top oil industry official, Shokri Ganem, has died in Austria of an apparent heart attack, the foreign ministry in Vienna said on Sunday.

Ganem, 69, had been chairman of Libya's state-owned National Oil Corporation (NOC) before defecting last June during the uprising that toppled leader Muammar Gaddafi.

As NOC chairman since 2006, Ghanem helped steer the country's oil policy and held the high-profile job of representing Libya at OPEC meetings.

He defected in Rome, citing daily bloodshed, and was believed to have been living in Europe since then.

Asked about rumours that Ganem had died of a heart attack in Austria, a foreign ministry spokesman said: "We have been able to confirm that it is true."

The spokesman said he could not give any more details.