At least 26 bodies have been recovered after a passenger bus plunged into the Padma River at Daulatdia ferry ghat in Rajbari.
The Fire Service recovered the bodies following the incident.
The sunken bus was lifted from the river around 12:30am on early Thursday using the salvage vessel Hamza. Until the bus was retrieved, 16 bodies had been recovered. Another 10 were found between midnight and 11:30am, bringing the total to 25.
All bodies have been handed over to their families.
Relatives of the missing have been seen wailing at the ferry ghat.
Mohammad Monir Hossain, transport supervisor at the Daulatdia ferry terminal, said the Shouharda Paribahan passenger bus arrived at 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 into the pontoon with force. The impact caused the bus to lose control and fall into the Padma River,” he said.
Police, army personnel, naval police, and Fire Service teams are working at the scene. The district administration, including the deputy commissioner, superintendent of police, and the Goaland upazila nirbahi officer, is also present.
FP/A
