Cameroon's coast guard says two bodies have been found out of 34 soldiers who went missing when a military vessel capsized off the Central African country's Atlantic coast Sunday.

Col. Henri Belinga, commander of the coast guard sector of the elite Rapid Intervention Battalion, said Friday that harsh weather and strong waves make it impossible for the rescue team to recover bodies and the vessel.

The vessel sank with 37 people on board during a routine mission to the Bakassi peninsula.

The oil-rich peninsula was handed over to Cameroon by Nigeria following an International Court of Justice ruling. Nigerian forces had occupied the area in the 1980s, leading to violent confrontations with Cameroon's military.