JUBA, Dec 17 (Reuters) - Gunfire erupted in South Sudan's capital Juba again on Tuesday, witnesses said, a day after President Salva Kiir said security forces had put down an "attempted coup" by supporters loyal to his former deputy Riek Machar.
After constant gunfire and explosions in the early morning, it was relatively calm for a few hours but sporadic gunfire then started up again.
At least 26 people have been killed in nearly two days of fighting in the capital, Makur Matur Kariom, Health Ministry undersecretary, told Reuters.
"These are the people we received at the hospital and who died actually at the hospital. Whoever died outside the hospital, we don't have their numbers," Kariom said from Juba Teaching Hospital.
The fighting in Juba started on Sunday evening. (Reporting by Andrew Green; Writing by Drazen Jorgic; Editing by George Obulutsa and Susan Fenton)
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