MANAMA, Bahrain – A ferry carrying up to 150 people capsized yesterday night in the Persian Gulf off the coast of Bahrain, and at least 48 bodies were recovered, the country’s coast guard chief said. American divers and an American helicopter aided the rescue effort.

Coast guard chief Youssef al-Katem said at least 63 people survived. A passenger on board the ferry calling from his cell phone was the first to alert officials that the ship was listing, he said.

The official Bahrain News Agency said the ferry – the al-Dana – was on an evening cruise that was to last several hours. It overturned less than a mile off the coast, it said. Television footage showed the ferry capsized but not sunk, with rescue workers walking on its brown hull.

American helicopters and divers joined the rescue operation launched by Bahrain’s coast guard. Bahrain, a tiny island nation on the western side of the Persian Gulf, is home to the Navy’s 5th Fleet.

Rescue teams brought bodies covered with white sheets to shore, and hospital workers hurried them to waiting ambulances. Scores of officials and relatives waited on the dock watching small rescue boats with flashing blue lights bring more bodies and survivors.

There was no indication of what caused the ferry to capsize in what appeared to be ideal weather conditions. The government dismissed terrorism as a cause, and the news agency quoted Interior Ministry spokesman Major Mohammed Ben Dayna calling it an accident.