The dying toll from Friday’s attack on a distant village in the north-eastern Nigerian state of Taraba has risen to at least 48, police have informed the BBC.

The police had initially reported 10 deaths after unidentified gunmen on bikes raided the village of Binnari, looting outlets and setting homes ablaze.

More our bodies were found on Sunday, according to state police spokesperson Victor Mshelizah, who said some of the victims had drowned while attempting to escape the attackers while others were killed in close by bushes.

Meanwhile, Amnesty International’s director for Nigeria said his organisation had confirmed 52 deaths, citing sources on the floor and members of the local people.

The attack occurred just after noon Muslim prayers, and the rampage went on for up to 4 hours.

State police had initially recovered 10 our bodies with gunshot wounds after officers responded to a misery call.

The attackers had fled by the time officers arrived – but they continued to patrol the space to restore calm, Taraba’s police informed the BBC on Saturday.

“We were able to disperse the unknown gunmen though there was no casualty on their side and ours because the terrain is difficult and they’re used to the terrain,” Assistant Superintendent of Police Victor Mshelizah said.

Community chief Malam Abubakar Saifullahi informed information company AFP that the attackers had arrived on about 50 bikes, two males apiece.

“They looted shops and took cash, foodstuffs and other provisions,” he said. “They also took motorcycles abandoned by people fleeing the attack.”

Isiyaku Musa, who survived the attack, informed AFP: “People were running in different directions to escape the attack. Nobody knew where it was safe to go.”

Amnesty’s Nigeria director Isa Sanusi has called for an neutral investigation into the killings, accusing the authorities of leaving rural communities “at the mercy of gunmen that are repeatedly commit atrocities with impunity”.

Parts of north-eastern Nigeria have been affected by years of violence involving jihadist teams and armed gangs, which raid communities, abduct residents and demand ransoms.

Similar armed teams function in the nation’s north-west and central areas.

The newest attack comes as Nigeria prepares for elections next 12 months, with insecurity expected to function prominently in political debates.