( CNN ) -- Between 200 and 300 women and children who were fleeing fighting in South Sudan drowned when an overloaded ferry overturned on a river , a South Sudanese army spokesman said Tuesday . The accident happened Saturday on the White Nile River near Malakal in the northeast of the country , said Col. Philip Aguer of the Sudan People 's Liberation Army . Aguer said he was aware of only two survivors , both crew members . The passengers were all civilians . South Sudan erupted into violence December 15 when rebels loyal to ousted Vice President Riek Machar tried to stage a coup . Since then , militia members loyal to Machar have battled government forces . Talks begin in hopes of halting descent 'into collapse ' Representatives of South Sudan 's government and rebels have been meeting for talks in the Ethiopian capital , Addis Ababa , but there has been no cease-fire reached . The violence has displaced more than 350,000 people , according to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization , and sparked a humanitarian crisis . The U.N. agency appealed Monday for $ 61 million to help it provide food assistance to those in need . Even before the violence broke out last month , some 4.4 million people were expected to face food insecurity this year , an agency news release said . Now many more are at risk of hunger . `` It is essential that security and stability return to South Sudan immediately so that displaced people can return to their homes , fields , herds and fishing grounds , '' said Sue Lautze , the U.N. agency 's representative in South Sudan . `` Timing is everything ; there are fish in the rivers now , pastoralists are trying to protect their herds and the planting season for maize , groundnut and sorghum starts in March . '' South Sudan seceded from Sudan in 2011 after decades of war , making it the world 's youngest nation . CNN 's Nana Karikari-apau contributed to this report .
Army spokesman says hundreds drowned in a ferry accident as they fled fighting . The ferry was carrying women and children when it overturned on a river , he says . South Sudan erupted into violence in mid-December . Comment: