BBC News - South Sudan clashes 'kill 400-500' after coup claim 18 December 2013 Last updated at 00:48 Hundreds of people are believed to have died in clashes between rival South Sudan army factions, the UN says, quoting unconfirmed reports. 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. Earlier, the government said 10 senior political figures, including the former finance minister, had been arrested. A meeting of the UN Security Council in New York on Tuesday was told that the fighting was "apparently largely along ethnic lines." French UN ambassador Gerard Araud, who chairs the Security Council, said up to 20,000 people had taken refuge in the UN mission in Juba. He said the council had received only "patchy information" in a briefing given by UN peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous. We are extremely concerned. There is a heavy toll, that's obvious," Mr Araud added. The US has ordered all its non-emergency embassy staff to leave the country immediately. In a nationwide address on Monday, President Kiir said a group of soldiers loyal to former Vice President Riek Machar had tried to take power by force on Sunday night, but were defeated. He then ordered a dusk-to-dawn curfew in the capital. President Kiir said the clashes began when uniformed personnel opened fire at a meeting of the governing party, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM). The violence continued into Monday when the government said it was back in full control. However, fresh gunfire erupted on Tuesday near the presidential palace and many other areas of Juba. Government officials say they are hunting for Mr Machar, who is believed to be in hiding. Information Minister Michael Makuei Lueth told the BBC that his whereabouts have been unclear since the start of fighting on Sunday. He said Mr Machar - who leads a dissident faction within the SPLM - was thought to have escaped with some troops. On Tuesday, the government said former Finance Minister Kosti Manibe, former Justice Minister John Luk Jok and former Interior Minister Gier Chuang Aluong were among the 10 people arrested. Many were members of the cabinet that was sacked in its entirety in July. South Sudan has struggled to achieve a stable government since becoming independent from Sudan in 2011.