Bodies are lying on the streets. Medical staff in overwhelmed hospitals are treating hundreds of wounded civilians against the backdrop of gunfire and mortar fire.

By Yassin Kombi and Sonia Rolley GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo (Reuters) - Dead bodies lay in the streets, gunfire rang out and hospitals were overwhelmed in east Congo's largest city Goma where M23 rebels backed by Rwanda faced pockets of resistance on Tuesday from army and pro-government militias.

The rebels, which Rwanda denies supporting, have long been funded at least in part by the illicit mineral trade.

There are growing international calls for peace talks to end the escalation of violence in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The fate of the economic and trading hub Goma is still unclear. UN officials have said the situation is chaotic with fighting continuing in parts of the city.

In the capital, Kinshasa, protesters complaining of a lack of international action attacked foreign embassies, including those of the U.S., France and Rwanda.

Once again, the eastern Congolese city of Goma has fallen to the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group. The mayhem is certainly real; the Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) displacement crisis is second only to Sudan’s,

There are growing international calls for Rwanda and the DRC to restart peace talks, as the Rwandan backed rebels take over a major city in the mineral rich region of eastern Congo.

Congo has severed diplomatic ties with Rwanda as fighting between Rwanda-backed rebels and government forces rages around the key eastern city of Goma.

Democratic Republic of Congo's M23 rebel group has gained control of the airport in the eastern city of Goma, diplomatic and security sources told Reuters.

Heavy artillery fire and bursts of automatic weapons resonated for endless hours. The streets of the eastern DR Congo city of Goma, where the Rwandan army and the M23 extended control in clashes with the Congolese army and its allies,

Rwanda-backed M23 rebels capture Goma, East Congo, amid escalating conflict and humanitarian crisis. U.N. reports violence and looting.