NEW DELHI: A passenger boat has capsized in a river in eastern India, leaving 29 people confirmed dead as rescuers searched for others feared missing, an official said Monday.

The boat was overcrowded with about 150 picnic guests capsized on a vast reservoir in India's eastern Orissa state, they said.

Scuba divers aided by rescue helicopters pulled dozens of people from the water after the boat carrying some 100 passengers overturned on Sunday in the state of Orissa, Deputy Relief Commissioner Prabat Ranjan Mahapatra said.

"We have recovered 29 bodies so far. Search operations will continue because three more persons are still missing," Mohapatra told AFP.

Survivors and eyewitnesses told local media the boat was returning from a picnic spot on one side of the Hirakud reservoir and was crossing the attached Mahanadi river in Sambalpur district.

Passengers panicked after the boat started taking on water when its engine stopped, according to local media.

"People started panicking when water began to flood the boat from numerous leaks. Many jumped out to get into two other boats travelling close by. This led to the accident as the boat lost balance and capsized," the Indian Express newspaper reported.

Boat accidents are common in India, mainly because of overcrowding, poor maintainance, lax regulations and a lack of life jackets and other safety equipment.

Last month 21 people were killed when a tourist boat capsized off India's remote Andaman Islands. Officials and survivors said the boat was not carrying lifejackets and was overcrowded.

Police, firefighters and emergency workers pulled dozens of survivors from the water, state official Pradeep Kumar Mahapatra said.

Survivors said the boat was carrying people back from a picnic on the opposite banks of the Hirakund reservoir, a 55-km-long reservoir created by the Hirakud Dam in the Mahanadi River in Sambalpur District, about 1,300 km southeast of New Delhi.

Authorities were investigating the accident, though they believe overcrowding was a likely cause. They had no information on the boat's capacity.