Rescue workers have retrieved 24 bodies from the wreckage of a small plane in the Manacapuru River, a tributary of the Amazon river in northwestern Brazil, local media reported Sunday.

There are conflicting reports about the number of passengers aboard the small plane, which crashed on Saturday afternoon.

The Brazilian Air Force had said earlier that 20 people were on the aircraft. However, according to Aerotaxi Manaus, the company that owns the aircraft, 26 people were on board.

Four survivors found at the scene were sent to a local hospital. They were said to have been seated towards the tail of the plane.

The aircraft, a Bandeirante PT-SEA, can reportedly carry 16 passengers or 1,500 kilograms of cargo.

(Xinhua News Agency February 9, 2009)