At least one person died and 20 others were reported missing after a makeshift boat capsized in a river in northern Mozambique on Saturday, local media report.

Four passengers that were in the boat survived the incident that occurred in the Chipaca river.

The one known fatality was a woman who passed away at a medical facility in a village near Quelimane.

One of the survivors is reported to say that the boat hit a bridge before capsizing.

Incidents of boat tragedies are a common occurrence in the Southern African nation, where river vessels are dilapidated and often overcrowded.