Staff Reporter:
Bodies of two women have been recovered so far in the incident in which a bus fell into the Padma River at Daulatdia Ghat in Goalanda upazila of Rajbari.
The incident took place at Pontoon-3 around 5:15pm when the Dhaka-bound bus ‘Showhardo,’ carrying at least 40 passengers, overturned into the river while waiting to board a ferry, raising fears of multiple casualties.
The deceased were identified as Rehena Begum, 60, a resident of Bhabanipur in Rajbari, and Morjina Begum, 55.
Another woman named Nusrat, 29, was rescued and is undergoing treatment at Goalanda Upazila Health Complex.
Confirming the number of deaths, Rajbari Additional Superintendent of Police Tapos Kumar Pal said rescue operations were underway.
Md Maruf Hossain, health and family planning officer of Goalanda, said three people were rescued and taken to the hospital following the incident, of whom two were found dead.
According to the Fire Service and Civil Defence, divers from Goalanda and Aricha fire stations were working to rescue the passengers, while additional teams from Dhaka and Faridpur were on their way to the spot.
Efforts are underway to salvage the bus, which has sunk to a depth of 30 feet, with the assistance of the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority’s rescue vessel Hamza, it said.
Locals said five to seven passengers of the bus managed to swim ashore although the remaining passengers are still missing.
Md Monir Hossain, the transport supervisor in charge at Daulatdia Ghat, said the bus arrived at Pontoon-3 shortly after 5pm, while a ferry carrying vehicles had already left for Paturia in Manikganj.
Since the bus narrowly missed boarding that ferry, it was waiting for the next one.
Around 5:15pm, another ferry named ‘Hasna Hena’ arrived and struck the pontoon with force, he said, adding that the bus plunged into the river due to the collision.
Monir said, “We could do nothing as the bus fell into the river right before our eyes. At least 40 passengers, including women and children, were on board. Several managed to swim ashore, but most remained trapped inside the bus.”
