Three people have been found dead while at least seven remained missing after a ferry got tipped over off the Bakassi Peninsula of Cameroon's southwestern coast on Sunday evening, according Cameroon navy officials.

"We rescued 107 people, and unfortunately we recovered three corpses on the spot," Lieutenant-Colonel Emmanuel Sone of Cameroon Navy, who has been conducting search and rescue since Sunday, told Xinhua on Monday evening.

According to Sone, there were about 117 persons on board, and the seven people who are missing could be trapped in the vessel. An anonymous source from the wrecked ship's company Achouka confirmed to Xinhua the number of passengers on board.

However, Cameroon national television CRTV on Monday evening said 40 passengers were missing.

About eight of rescued passengers sustained "serious injuries" and are receiving medical treatment in the sea resort town of Limbe in Cameroon's Southwest region, Sone said

The ferry left neighboring Nigeria and was heading to Tiko wharf in the Southwest region.

The accident has been blamed on overloading, but officials of Achouka insist it was caused by "bad weather or it sank after striking a rock".

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