Around 50 people on their way to a village funeral died after their riverboat capsized in the Central African Republic's capital Bangui on Friday, an official said on Saturday.

"We were alerted 40 minutes after the incident and rescuers were able to extract around 50 lifeless bodies," civil protection department head Thomas Djimasse told Reuters.

He added, in a telephone interview, that the search was continuing with more people possibly drowned in the Mpoko River.

Government spokeperson Maxime Balalou gave a death toll of over 30 and called for better compliance with river transport safety regulations.