16 bodies recovered from submerged bus, toll rises to 18

Rescue vessel Hamza retrieved the bus that had fallen into the Padma River from a pontoon at Daulatdia Ghat in Goalanda Upazila of Rajbari after six hours.

At around 11:15 pm on Wednesday, part of the bus became visible, and by approximately 11:30 pm, rescuers used the vessel’s crane to lift the entire bus above the water.

At the time of filing of this report, the fire service said 16 bodies had been recovered from the bus so far.

Earlier, Md Hafizur Rahman, assistant commissioner and executive magistrate at the Rajbari Deputy Commissioner’s Office, confirmed at 12:50 am that 14 bodies had been recovered.

With this, the death toll in the Daulatdia ferry ghat bus accident has risen to 18.

Earlier, rescuers took two individuals to the Goalanda upazila health complex, where the attending physician declared them dead.

Later, in a WhatsApp message sent by the fire service media cell late Wednesday night, authorities confirmed the recovery of 16 bodies.

The message further stated that among the recovered victims were two children, 10 women and four men.

At around 5:15 pm on Wednesday, a Dhaka-bound passenger bus waiting to cross the river at Daulatdia Ghat lost control and fell into the Padma River from the pontoon.

The bus had started its journey from Kumarkhali in Kushtia. At the time of departure, only six passengers were on board, but more passengers boarded from various counters along the route.

According to the counter master, the bus was carrying at least 50 passengers in total.

At the scene, Rajbari Deputy Commissioner Sultana Akter told journalists, "Prime Minister Tarique Rahman phoned to enquire about the incident. He instructed that necessary measures be taken swiftly and asked to be kept informed."

She also stated that authorities are in the process of forming a high-level investigation committee into the accident.

The committee will include representatives from the district administration, BIWTA, BIWTC, and the police.

Abdus Salam had boarded the Souharda Paribahan bus at Daulatdia Ghat after paying a fare of Tk 300 to travel to Dhaka. However, as the ferry was delayed, he got off the bus and was standing outside.

After the accident, Abdus Salam, a resident of Saidol Para in Daulatdia, was found at the ferry ghat later that night.

Describing the incident, he told Prothom Alo, "The bus was standing on the road leading onto the pontoon at the ferry ghat. As soon as the ferry arrived and docked, the bus suddenly started moving and went straight into the river. The driver tried hard but could not control the vehicle."