Passenger Bus Plunges into Padma River at Daulatdia Ferry Ghat, Death Toll Rises to 26

A tragic accident at Daulatdia ferry ghat has claimed 26 lives after a passenger bus plunged into the Padma River following a collision with a utility ferry, officials confirmed.

Rescue teams recovered 24 bodies from inside the bus, including eight men, 11 women, and five children- four boys and one girl. In total, 26 bodies have been recovered so far. Of these, 23 were retrieved by the Fire Service and Civil Defence, two were recovered by local residents and later declared dead at the hospital, and one was recovered by a navy diver.

The sunken bus was lifted from the river around 12:30am early Thursday using the salvage vessel Hamza. Before the bus was retrieved, 16 bodies had already been recovered. An additional seven bodies were found between midnight and 8am, raising the total to 23 at that point. All recovered bodies have since been handed over to their families.

Mohammad Monir Hossain, transport supervisor at the Daulatdia ferry terminal, said the Shouharda Paribahan passenger bus reached Ghat No. 3 shortly after 5pm. A ferry carrying vehicles had just departed for Paturia in Manikganj, and the bus was waiting for the next one.

“At around 5:15pm, a small utility ferry named Hasna Hena crashed forcefully into the pontoon. The impact caused the bus to lose control and fall into the river,” he said.

Police, army personnel, naval police, and Fire Service teams are continuing operations at the scene. Senior district administration officials, including the deputy commissioner, superintendent of police, and the Goaland upazila nirbahi officer, are also present.