Bus recovered after plunging into Padma, passengers offloaded earlier

A bus that plunged into the Padma River at Rajbari’s Daulatdia ferry terminal was recovered nearly two and a half hours after the accident on Friday (5 June).

At around 12pm, a recovery vessel named Hamza of the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) lifted the bus onto a K-type ferry Korobi at the terminal.

Earlier, at about 9:40am, the bus of SB Super Deluxe Paribahan lost control while attempting to board a ferry, broke through the ramp and fell into the Padma River from the pontoon. The driver and his assistant were quickly rescued and later admitted to hospital. 

There were no passengers on the bus at the time, as they had already disembarked before it attempted to board the ferry. No casualties were reported.

The district administration has initiated steps to return passengers’ belongings upon proper identification. A five- to seven-member probe committee is also expected to be formed to investigate the cause of the accident, Rajbari Deputy Commissioner Afroza Parveen said.

Driver Jhontu Ali (48), who is undergoing treatment at the Goalanda Upazila Health Complex, said he had left Madanpur in Kushtia early in the morning carrying passengers bound for Dhaka. 

“There were around 40 people on board, including passengers, the driver and the assistant,” he said.

He added that at Daulatdia ferry terminal, passengers were asked to disembark as per procedure. “Some did not want to get off but naval police forced them to leave. Then my assistant and I started the vehicle to board the ferry. At that moment, the brakes failed and the bus hit the ramp of the ferry Korobi and fell into the river. I managed to escape through a window,” he said.

Passenger Abdur Salam, a teacher at Noor Mohammad Public College under the Border Guard Bangladesh headquarters, said he had frequently travelled on the route and usually did not get off the bus at the ferry terminal. 

“Today, the police forced us to get down. Within seconds, the bus fell into the river. It feels like the police saved our lives,” he said.

Officials from the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC) said passengers were instructed to disembark before the bus attempted to board the ferry and police assisted in ensuring safety. They added that no passengers were on board at the time of the incident.

Earlier, on 25 March, another passenger bus from Kushtia had fallen into the Padma River while attempting to board a ferry at the same terminal, killing 26 people.

Deputy Commissioner Afroza Parveen said a probe committee will investigate the incident. “Everyone needs to be more cautious. Today, awareness helped save many lives. Action will be taken after the investigation report is received,” she said.