The number of people killed in Goma and its surroundings in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has exceeded 8,500 since January, when M23 rebels intensified fighting with government forces and captured the city, authorities said.

Health Minister Samuel-Roger Kamba said on Thursday more than 5,700 wounded have been recorded.

"We have already buried more than 8,500 people in the city of Goma. We still have about 30 bodies in our morgues," Kamba told reporters at a press briefing on the latest assessment of the humanitarian crisis in Goma, the capital of North Kivu province.

"In the last two days alone, we retrieved 23 bodies of people killed between February 23 and 25."

Kamba said the government also condemned forced conscription of young people into rebel activities, noting that "four trucks have so far picked up young people to force them to join our enemies."

1,500 more deaths

Earlier in the week, the prime minister said at least 7,000 people have been killed since January, amounting to at least a 1,500 increase in the death toll.

On January 27, M23 rebels backed by Rwanda, claimed the takeover of Goma, while the government based in Kinshasa claimed that Rwandan forces were present in the city.

On Thursday, two bombs exploded at an M23 rebel rally in Bukavu, another city captured by the armed group in the eastern DRC, killing at least 11 people and injuring 65.

The M23 says it is defending the interests of minority Congolese Tutsis, who say they are discriminated against for their ethnic links to Rwanda’s Tutsi community.