GOMA, Congo (AP) — Panic spread in eastern Congo's main city on Thursday, with M23 rebels steadily inching closer to Goma and seizing a nearby town as they battle the Congolese army. Bombs were heard going off in the city's distant outskirts and hundreds of wounded civilians were brought in to the main hospital from the area of the fighting.

Laden with just the possessions they can carry, thousands of displaced people have reached the outskirts of the city of Goma in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, fleeing a rapid M23 rebel advance that has taken more territory than ever before.

In eastern Congo, panic grips Goma as M23 rebels advance, capturing nearby towns. Goma, a key regional hub, faces heightened conflict, displacing over 7 million. Accusations against Rwanda for backing M23 persist as international bodies urge restraint.

Luggage on their backs, they trudged all Wednesday morning along the road leading to downtown Goma, fleeing the advancing fighters in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

Many Congolese see the rebel advance as an invasion of their country by a foreign power in an attempt to seize land and Congo’s valuable rare minerals.

The army acknowledged Tuesday a "breakthrough" by the M23 in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo where the armed group fighting government forces has seized a trading hub that supplies the city of Goma.

Panic spread in Goma, the capital of DR Congo's North Kivu Province, on Thursday, January 23, with M23 rebels reportedly planning to march on the key city after recently gaining more ground against the Congolese army.

Tutsi-led M23 rebel group claims to defend Tutsi interests against ethnic Hutu militias whose leaders are linked to genocide of Tutsi in Rwanda - Anadolu Ajansı

A hospital in Goma has taken in more than 200 wounded since early January as fighting intensifies in the eastern North Kivu province between government forces and M23 rebels, the Red Cross and local sources told AFP Monday.

Goma (DRC), a city home to 2 milliion people, is experiencing a severe drinking water shortage. The situation is also exacerbating tensions in the overpopulated and volatile city.

Amid an uptick in fighting, the United Nations says more than 237,000 people have been forced from their homes in the eastern DRC since the start of the year.

With babies in tow and mattresses over their heads, thousands of displaced people reached the outskirts of the eastern city of Goma, after fleeing M23 rebels who seized the town of Minova this week.