Padma swallows 18 lives as bus plunges into river at Daulatdia

Rescue teams at Rajbari’s Daulatdia Ferry Terminal have now recovered 18 bodies after the harrowing bus accident that sent a Dhaka-bound Showhardo Paribahan bus plunging into the Padma River.

Fire Service and Civil Defence media officer Md Shahjahan Sikdar confirmed around 2:30pm Thursday that another three bodies of unidentified women were pulled from the river.

Around midnight, recovery of 13 bodies were confirmed, including four men, seven women, and two children.

The bus has been lifted from the river, offering rescuers a grim view of the vehicle as efforts continue to locate any remaining passengers.

Earlier, bodies of two women had been initially recovered around 8:30pm.

The bus, which had departed from Kumar Khali in Kushtia, lost control while attempting to board a ferry around 5:15pm.

It plunged roughly 70–80 feet into the river, Fire Service’s Faridpur Assistant Director Belal Uddin said.

“We are trying to lift the bus using the vessel Hamza, but heavy rain, lightning, and turbulent waves are slowing the operation. We hope to recover it fully soon,” he added.

The recovered victims were transported to Goalanda Upazila Health Complex, Rajbari Civil Surgeon SM Masud said.

Their identities are yet to be confirmed.

Videos circulating on social media show the bus on the pontoon moments before the accident, with the ferry already moored and carrying passengers and vehicles.

Witnesses captured panicked bystanders rushing to the river as the bus veered off and sank.

A few passengers surfaced, clutching ropes and lifebuoys thrown by those on the pontoon and ferry, as video clips showed.

Rescue efforts continue amid tense scenes, as relatives search desperately for missing passengers.

Fire Service teams, divers from Aricha, Dhaka, and Faridpur, as well as local authorities, are combing the river in the hope of recovering more survivors and victims.