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Published : 26 Mar 2026, 02:56 AM
Abdul Aziz clung to the pontoon at Daulatdia, trembling, as he recounted the moments his wife and child were swept into the river. One of the few who managed to escape the sinking bus, Aziz sat on the pontoon, panic etched across his face: “What will happen to me now? How will I survive?”
Moments before sunset on Wednesday, the Dhaka-bound Showhardo Paribahan bus he had boarded from Kushtia lost control on the ferry pontoon and plunged into the turbulent waters.
More than 40 passengers were aboard, most trapped inside the submerged vehicle. Only a handful, including Aziz, managed to swim to safety.
The terminal, once bustling with returning holidayers, was filled with screams. What should have been a routine return from Eid had become a nightmare of water and steel, grief and chaos.
Witnesses and social media videos show the bus moving uncontrollably on the pontoon before sliding and falling into the river.
Around five to seven passengers escaped by swimming to the riverbank, while others remained trapped under the bus as it sank into the river, estimated at a depth of 70–80 feet.
The scene at Daulatdia quickly became chaotic as relatives and survivors anxiously searched for loved ones.
Lives Vanish in Moments
Nuruzzaman, a resident of Shailkupa in Kushtia, watched in horror as the bus went under with his wife and seven-month-old son inside. He had disembarked from the bus with his elder daughter just before it reached the ferry pontoon.
“I got off the bus with my elder daughter when we reached the ferry. My wife and younger child were still in the vehicle. The bus slipped from the pontoon and went into the river. They couldn’t get out,” he said, distraught, as he waited at the terminal for news.
The terminal’s air was thick with grief, with survivors like Aziz and Nuruzzaman turning a once-busy ferry hub into a scene of anguish and despair.
Rescue Delayed as Storm Rages
Shortly after the accident, a heavy storm and rain swept over the area, hampering rescue operations and ferry traffic. Vehicles backed up for kilometres at both Daulatdia and Aricha terminals.
Goalanda Fire Service unit and Aricha diving team began immediate search efforts, while two diving units from Dhaka and Faridpur joined later.
Pranbandhu Chandra Biswas, chief of Goalanda Ferry Police, said: “There is heavy rain and the Padma is turbulent. The bus is deep underwater. Fire Service teams, divers, and the rescue vessel Hamza are all on site.
“Work is slow, but we continue. People are anxious as they have no news of their loved ones.”
Some survivors, like Meherpur resident Pratyasha, identified by a single name, waited hours in torrential rain: “The ferry service stopped due to the storm. Cars are stuck in line. Passengers who went outside say the ferry is not running. We are waiting, hoping to leave for Dhaka.”
Bus Pulled from the Depths
After six hours, the BIWTA rescue vessel Hamza began hoisting the submerged bus from the river.
By 11:30pm, the front portion of the bus emerged, revealing the driver’s seat and belongings like school bags and shoes still inside.
Fire Service officer Md Shahjahan Sikdar reported that two bodies were recovered around 8:30pm. By 11:45pm, nine more were retrieved: four men, six women, and three children.
Around 1am, four more bodies were recovered, before another three were reported found around 2:30am, bringing the death toll to 18.
Civil surgeons and Fire Service personnel were unable to immediately confirm the identities of the dead.
Assistant Director Belal Uddin of the Faridpur Fire Service said, “The bus sank 70–80 feet into the river. We are raising it using Hamza. Rain, thunder, and strong waves have slowed operations, but we hope to recover the vehicle fully soon.”
Witness Accounts
Abdul Salam, a witness to the harrowing incident, described the moment the bus lost control: “The bus arrived on the approach road to the pontoon. Another ferry had just left for Manikganj, and the bus was waiting for the next one.
“Suddenly, it moved on its own and slipped into the river. The driver tried to control it but failed.”
Local ferry supervisor Monir Hossain said, “The bus sank right before our eyes. There was nothing we could do. It came onto the pontoon around 5pm. Just as another ferry left, the bus slid into the river. There were many passengers inside.”
Social Media Captures Horror
Several videos of the incident circulated online: one showing the bus on the pontoon, moving while waiting for the ferry. Another captures the panic as passengers and bystanders rush towards the sinking bus.
Survivors are seen grabbing ropes and life buoys tossed from the pontoon and ferry to pull themselves to safety.
These visual accounts have intensified public grief and drawn attention to ferry safety along the Padma.
A Nation in Shock
The accident has cast a shadow over the Eid return journey. Many passengers were returning to Dhaka after the holiday, turning joy into grief.
Fire Service units, Army personnel, Navy police, local administration, and law enforcers coordinated to manage both rescue and crowd control at Daulatdia.
Although witnesses estimate that more than 40 passengers were on board, exact figures remain unconfirmed.
“Five to seven passengers managed to swim ashore initially, but most were trapped inside the bus,” said the BIWTA Aricha Office Engineer Mohammad Robiul Alam.
As of early Thursday morning, the search continues, with hopes to recover any remaining victims as the bus was lifted entirely from the Padma waters.
