Hundreds of people are believed to have died in clashes between rival South Sudan army factions, the UN says, quoting unconfirmed reports, according to BBC News.

UN diplomats said they had been told by sources in the capital, Juba, that the death toll was between 400 and 500.

South Sudan has seen two days of clashes following a reported coup attempt against President Salva Kiir. The president of the UN Security Council told the BBC there was "potential" for civil war.

Earlier, the government said 10 senior political figures, including the former finance minister, had been arrested.

President Kiir said a group of soldiers loyal to former Vice President Riek Machar had tried to take power by force on Sunday, Dec 15 night, but were defeated. He has ordered a dusk-to-dawn curfew in the capital.

Details of the fighting have been sketchy, but a meeting of the UN Security Council in New York on Tuesday was told that the clashes were "apparently largely along ethnic lines".