DHAKA: At least 300 people have been killed in two days of violence in the capital of the Central African Republic, says the Red Cross.

The organisation said its staff stopped collecting bodies in Bangui as night fell but would resume over the weekend, and expected the toll to rise, reports BBC.

Violence in the CAR has raised fears of mass killings along sectarian lines.

Hundreds of French troops are arriving in the city as part of a UN effort to restore law and order.

France was hoping to have around 1,000 troops - doubling its current force - in the CAR by Friday evening.

It followed a UN Security Council vote to allow French troops to join an African peacekeeping force in the CAR.

BDST: 0913 HRS, DEC 07 , 2013