At least 200 South Sudanese civilians including children have drowned in a ferry accident on the White Nile river which is wide, deep and has a strong current while fleeing fresh fighting in the northern city of Malakal.

Hundreds of South Sudanese boarded the ferry that could only accommodate some 80 passengers on Sunday. The boat was overloaded.

People grabbed the sides, but when the boat capsized, only two people and the boat driver managed to reach the banks alive

The civilians were reportedly fleeing fighting between government and rebel forces in the northern town of Malakal, the capital of the oil-producing Upper Nile state.

Since fighting broke out on December 15 between soldiers loyal to South Sudan's president Salva Kiir and those loyal to Machar, some 400,000 civilians have fled their homes over the past month, according to the United Nations.