At least two people drowned and 10 were missing after a boat ferrying over 35 people capsized in the Ganga river in Bihar's Bhagalpur district on Saturday, police said.

"Over a dozen people managed to swim to safety. Some were rescued by local villagers. Search and rescue operations are on," a police officer said.

Two bodies had been recovered but eight people are still missing, an official said.

The boat, with a capacity of 15, was overcrowded, police said.