"We do not know yet the total number of deaths, but of the more than 45 passengers on board, there have been only a few survivors," said port official Fanyewa Soumah.

The motorised wooden boat was ferrying passengers from Conakry to an island off the West African coast. Soumah said it was not clear why it had capsized.

Mohamed Awada, director of a hospital in Conakry, said eight bodies had been recovered so far, including that of an infant.

Accidents on overcrowded and poorly maintained boats are common in the region. At least 30 people drowned in July after a boat from Guinea capsized off Sierra Leone in bad weather.