At least 20 people were killed after a wooden boat exploded in the Bayelsa waterways of the southern region of Nigeria, police said Thursday.

The wooden boat, carrying more than 64 passengers and crew, burst into flames along the rural Ezetu 1 community in the Southern Ijaw local government area Wednesday, Musa Mohammed, spokesman for the police in Bayelsa, told the media.

Twenty bodies were recovered following a rescue operation launched Wednesday, Mohammed said, noting the operation by the marine police was still ongoing.

He said the ill-fated boat was also laden with farm produce from the rural Ezetu 1 community, en route to a local market in Yenagoa, the capital of Bayelsa.

He added that an investigation has been launched to ascertain the cause of the explosion.