Kathmandu - Four people were confirmed killed and four others were missing after an overcrowded boat capsized in western Nepal, police said Monday.

The boat capsized Sunday on the flooded Kanari River in the Dhangadhi district, about 440 kilometres west of Kathmandu, police said.

The boat was carrying 25 people, double its capacity, along with several bicycles and grain sacks when the accident occurred.

Police said rescuers were able to pull 17 survivors from the river but hopes were fading for the four missing.

Some of the bodies were recovered two kilometres downstream, and police said flooding was making it difficult to carry out search operations.

Expert swimmers and rafts were brought in from neighbouring areas for the search, police said.

Many people in western Nepal rely on boats to cross rivers in the absence of bridges, and accidents are frequent during the monsoon season when rivers are flooded. (dpa)