The boat capsized on Sunday in White Nile River as the people were fleeing fighting in Malakal.

Between 200 and 300 people perished in a ferry accident in South Sudan on Sunday, January 12, 2014 as they were trying to flee fighting between the army and renegade soldiers, the BBC reported yesterday, January 14, 2014.

According to South Sudan’s Army Spokesman, Col. Philip Aguer, the boat went down in White Nile River as the people were escaping fighting in the town of Malakal. Malakal is the gateway to the oilfields of the Upper Nile region and the town has seen fighting in recent days. France 24 TV said all the people on board the heavily-loaded boat, including women and children, drowned in the accident. Meanwhile, reports said fighting continued up and down River Nile yesterday.

Heavy fighting was reported in Malakal, capital of the oil-producing Upper Nile State. Rebel forces staged a fresh attack to seize the town that has already changed hands twice since the conflict in South Sudan began on December 15, 2013. Al Jazeera TV cited Toby Lanzer, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in South Sudan, as confirming reports of renewed fighting in and around Malakal.

He added that the number of people seeking refuge in its peacekeeping base in Malakal had risen from 10,000 to 19,000. Further down south, the army reported heavy fighting near Bor, the capital of Jonglei State. Col. Aguer told reporters late on Monday that the army was marching on Bor, which is the rebels’ last major stronghold. He also confirmed fighting south of the capital, Juba, around the town of Rajaf.