Tragedy at Daulatdia Terminal: Passenger Bus Plunges into Padma River

A major accident in Bangladesh claimed the lives of 23 people after a passenger bus fell into the Padma River. Eleven passengers managed to swim to safety, while several others were feared missing. The bus was carrying around 40 passengers at the time of the incident. The accident occurred on Wednesday evening at the Daulatdia terminal in Rajbari district. According to officials, the bus was in the process of boarding a ferry when the driver lost control, causing the vehicle to plunge into the river. Ferries are commonly used in Bangladesh to transport buses and other vehicles across rivers. Initially, only two fatalities were reported, but the death toll later rose to 23 as rescue operations progressed. Rescue teams used a vessel named “Hamza” and, after nearly six hours of effort, successfully retrieved the submerged bus around midnight. A total of 21 bodies were recovered from the bus, while divers had earlier retrieved the bodies of two women. Fire service personnel, along with coast guard divers, police, and the army, are continuing search operations to locate the missing passengers. Authorities confirmed that the bus was heading towards Dhaka, and many of the passengers, including children, were returning to the capital after Eid holidays. Eyewitnesses stated that several passengers belonged to the same family. Some individuals who were standing outside the bus at the time of the incident survived, while their family members inside the vehicle were among the victims. Following the incident, Prime Minister Tariq Rahman reviewed the rescue operations and ordered an investigation into the accident.