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South Sudanese rebels have taken over a key town, the military has said, as fighting continues after Sunday's reported coup attempt, the BBC reported.

"Our soldiers have lost control of Bor to the force of Riek Machar," said army spokesman Philip Aguer.

President Salva Kiir has accused Mr Machar, the former vice-president, of staging a coup - a claim he denies.

The unrest, which began in the capital Juba, has already killed 500 people and sparked fears of a civil war.

The United Nations has called for political dialogue to end the crisis, and Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said about 20,000 people had taken refuge in UN compounds in Juba.

Britain and the US have both sent planes to airlift their nationals out of the country, and a US defence official described the situation as "getting ugly."

Since independence, several groups have taken up arms against the South Sudanese government. It is not clear if any of these groups were involved in the capture of Bor.
On Wednesday the mayor of Bor, Nicholas Nhial Majak, told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme that violence had spread there from Juba, 200km (125 miles) away.

Bor is the capital of Jonglei state, and is seen as one of the most volatile areas of South Sudan.

Overnight there were reports of gun battles in the town, as renegade officers fought with troops still loyal to the president.

"There was shooting last night...we don't have information on casualties or the displaced in the town, as operations are ongoing," Mr Aguer told reporters.

But he added that the town's authorities were not answering their phones and were believed to have defected to the rebels' side.