ABUJA, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- A total of 14 bodies have been recovered so far after a passenger bus fell into a river in the Ivo district of Ebonyi state in Nigeria's southeast region, a police officer told Xinhua on Saturday.

The accident involved a bus carrying members of a church returning from a burial on Friday evening, said Stella Uchegbu, state commander for the Federal Road Safety Corps, adding that so far the number of people on board cannot be identified as the bus is still trapped.

"That kind of bus normally carries up to 30 or more passengers. We do not know whether it was fully-laden," Uchegbu said.

Officials on Saturday said the driver lost control of the bus while trying to overtake a truck. The vehicle then veered off into the river and got submerged immediately.

A police spokesperson of the state, Loveth Odah, confirmed to Xinhua that seven of the bodies recovered so far are male while seven are female. All the bodies were recovered on Saturday.

According to Odah, local authorities had earlier rescued five people and declared others missing.

Some of the rescued victims remain unconscious and have been taken to a hospital, said the police spokesperson. A search for more bodies by rescuers is still ongoing. Enditem

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