Boat accident in northeastern Brazil kills at least 22

Rescue workers carry a body recovered from the Xingu River in this image released by Brazil's Secretary of Social Communication. (SECOM photo/Marcio Flexa via AP)

At least 22 peole were killed when a passenger boat carrying over 100 passengers sunk in a bay in northeastern Brazil on Thursday.

Dozens more were missing after the vessel went down on the Bay of All Saints in the city of Salvador.

Navy Lt. Col. Flavio Almeida said 21 people were rescued by naval teams, and private boats also rushed to the scene to help as well.

Residents watch rescue workers carry away bodies recovered after a boat that sank while it was traveling on the Xingu River. (SECOM photo/Marcio Flexa via AP)

Globo News showed rescuers pulling people from the bay and anxious family members waiting for news in the terminal where the boat was expected.

In a statement the Bahia state health department said 34 people were being treated for injuries. An unconscious 1-year-old who initially responded to resuscitation efforts died in an ambulance en route to a hospital, it added.

HURRICANE HARVEY INTENSIFIES, EXPECTED TO MAKE LANDFALL IN TEXAS AS MAJOR STORM

Residents watch rescue workers carry away bodies recovered after a boat that sank while it was traveling on the Xingu River. (SECOM photo/Marcio Flexa via AP)

Survivor Edvaldo Santos de Almeida told the G1 news portal that a large wave tipped the boat during a heavy rainstorm.

"There were a lot of people" on board, he said. "It took a long time to be rescued. We were in the water for two hours."

The vessel was traveling between Vera Cruz on Itaparica Island and Salvador, about an 8-mile (13-kilometer) stretch.

The accident took place a day after a passenger boat carrying more than 70 people sank on a major river in the northern state of Para, leaving at least 19 dead.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.