M23 rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo were reported to have taken the key eastern city of Goma in fierce fighting with government forces that sent streams of refugees fleeing area communities.

Fighting with M23 rebels in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo left six United Nations peacekeepers dead, UN officials said Saturday.

The M23 militia, funded and directed by Rwanda, said it had seized the city of Goma, terrifying its people, many of whom sought shelter there after fleeing the rebel advance.

Three U.N. peacekeepers from South Africa have been killed fighting M23 rebels in eastern Congo. A political party and a trade union said Saturday that the peacekeepers were killed on

In Goma itself, there were outbreaks of looting after the rebel takeover, and hundreds of prisoners escaped from a jail after a fire broke out. Hundreds of residents fled from the city, some entering Rwanda to seek shelter.

Gunfire rang out early on Monday across parts of Goma, the largest city in eastern Congo, hours after Rwanda-backed rebels said they had seized the city despite the United Nations Security Council's calling for an end to the offensive.

UN Secretary General António Guterres has called on Rwanda to withdraw its forces from the Democratic Republic of Congo's territory and on the M23 rebel group to stop its advance on the eastern city of Goma amid intense fighting.