Another bus falls into river at Daulatdia Ghat, driver and assistant rescued

A passenger bus has once again plunged into the Padma River at the Daulatdia ferry terminal in Goalanda Upazila of Rajbari. At around 9:30 am today, Friday, an 'SB Super Deluxe' passenger bus lost control and fell into the Padma River while boarding a ferry at Daulatdia's Ghat No. 7.

The driver and his assistant were later rescued. There were no passengers on board the vehicle, as they had already disembarked before it attempted to board the ferry.

Earlier, on 25 March, a ‘Souhardya Paribahan’ bus arriving from Kushtia lost control and plunged directly into the Padma River while trying to board a ferry at Daulatdia Ferry Ghat No. 3. Twenty-six passengers lost their lives in that incident.

Barek Sheikh, the Daulatdia Ghat supervisor for SB Super Deluxe Paribahan, said the bus leaving Kushtia was carrying 37 passengers. There were around 40 people in total on board, including the bus supervisor, assistant, and driver. At around 9:30 am, the bus queued at Daulatdia's Ghat No. 7 to board a ferry.

At the time, a large ferry named 'Birshreshtha Jahangir' was docked in a pocket on the left side of the jetty, while another medium-sized ferry was in the opposite pocket. Vehicles were boarding the Birshreshtha Jahangir ferry. As the bus attempted to board the Birshreshtha Jahangir, it lost control and struck the ramp of another ferry.

The ramp broke under the impact, and the bus plunged straight into the Padma River. The passengers of the bus had already disembarked at the terminal; only the driver and his assistant were inside. They were later rescued and sent to the Goalanda Upazila Health Complex, added Barek Sheikh.

Al Jubayer, a passenger on the bus, said all passengers were dropped off at the ferry terminal at around 9:30 am. Following this, the driver and his assistant proceeded onto the ferry with the bus. It was then that the bus suddenly veered to the right and fell into the water.

Mohammad Salah Uddin, assistant general manager of the BIWTC Daulatdia office, stated that the Fire Service, BIWTA, and River Police have commenced rescue operations at the scene. No casualties have been reported so far, and the cause of the accident is yet to be determined.