DAKAR: At least 20 people, the vast majority of them women, were killed when a wooden boat capsized off the coast of central Senegal in a delta region popular with tourists, firefighters told AFP on Tuesday.

A traditional wooden boat overturned near the coastal town of Bettenty on Monday night, with 72 on board, all except two of them women, said Commander Oumar Kane, a senior official with Senegal´s national firefighters.

"Unfortunately, we have 20 dead bodies and one missing," Kane told AFP on Tuesday. "The search is ongoing" though 51 people had been saved so far, he added.

The women are believed to have been on their way to look for seafood in a coastal area well known for delicacies such as oysters, and where tourists flock in large numbers.