Three Egyptian were killed on Thursday in a fire at a Libyan port west of the capital Tripoli, Egypt's state news agency MENA reported.

A fishing loader at the Zawara Port caught fire after a stove exploded during maintenance work on a fishing boat, MENA quoted the Zawara media department as saying.

Three Egyptians were killed in the blaze, it added.

Libya has long been a major destination for Egyptian workers due to its geographical proximity and open borders, which until April 2011 allowed Egyptians to enter and reside there without a visa.

In a 2014 report, the International Organisation for Migration estimated that up to one million Egyptians remain in Libya -- predominantly from rural areas and Lower Egypt.

Egypt's foreign ministry has repeatedly warned Egyptians against travelling to the North African country, which has plunged into chaos following the 2011 toppling and killing of dictator Muammar Gadhafi.