Bus salvaged from Padma after 6 hours, 18 bodies recovered
The incident occurred around 5:15pm on Wednesday at Daulatdia ferry ghat's pontoon No 3, when the bus lost control, overturned, and sank to an estimated depth of 30 feet.
A total of 18 bodies have been recovered after a passenger bus carrying around 40 people plunged into the Padma River from a pontoon, while attempting to board a ferry, at Daulatdia ferry ghat in Rajbari on Wednesday afternoon (25 March).
The incident occurred at around 5:15pm at pontoon No 3, when the Souhardo Paribahan bus lost control, overturned, and sank to an estimated depth of 30 feet, according to the police and Fire Service and Civil Defence.
As of 2:05am Thursday (26 March), the Fire Service, in an update shared with the media, said the first responders have recovered the bodies of four men, 10 women, and two children — one boy and one girl.
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It added that the locals also recovered two more bodies.
Around 12:35am Thursday, the submerged bus was salvaged from the river with the help of the rescue vessel Hamza, nearly six hours after the incident.
Earlier, Goaland Upazila Health and Family Planning Officer Dr Md Maruf Hossain confirmed three casualties, saying they had been rescued and taken to the hospital, where two were declared dead, and one was receiving treatment.
The deceased were identified as Rehena Begum, 60, a resident of the Bhabanipur area in Rajbari, and Marjina Begum, 55, whose detailed identity could not be immediately confirmed.
A woman named Nusrat, 29, a doctor by profession, is currently undergoing treatment.
Later, the Fire Service confirmed recovering the bodies of two more women, saying both were approximately 30 years old.
Fire Service officials said the submerged bus was located underwater by multiple diving units from the Goalanda, Aricha, Dhaka, Paturia, and Faridpur.
Trinath Saha, the in-charge of Daulatdia River Police Outpost, said in the evening, "There were around 40 passengers on the bus. The rescue vessel Hamza has begun operations. So far, two people have been rescued alive."
"Fire Service divers are working at the scene, and more diving teams are being sent from the headquarters in Dhaka," said Talha Bin Jasim, media officer at the Fire Service headquarters.
Dewan Sohel Rana, deputy assistant director of Rajbari Fire Service, said the driver of the bus lost control while boarding the ferry, and the vehicle fell into the river.
Md Monir Hossain, the transport supervisor on duty at Daulatdia ferry terminal, told Prothom Alo that the Souhardo Paribahan passenger bus arrived at pontoon No 3 shortly after 5pm.
"At around 5:15pm, a utility (small) ferry named Hasna Hena struck the pontoon with force. Unable to control the impact, the bus plunged into the Padma River," he said.
According to local sources, the bus had left Rajbari with around 40 passengers. Shortly after the accident, five to seven passengers managed to swim ashore.
Goalanda police said that many passengers are believed to still be inside the submerged bus. "We are continuing rescue efforts," he said.
As the rescue operation continued, stories and images of heartbreak kept pouring in.
Nuruzzaman, on his way back to Dhaka after the Eid holidays, had boarded the bus with his wife and children. While the bus was boarding the ferry, he stepped out with his four-year-old daughter, but his wife and another child remained inside. Now, sitting silently on the banks of the Padma, he waited, hoping for news of his family.
In the same bus, Jahangirnagar University student Rayhan was returning to the capital with his mother. When news of the accident spread on social media, his friends and classmates were thrown into shock. Many continue to hold hope in their prayers, wishing that their friend might return safely.
