Horror unfolds as man watches wife, child vanish with bus in watery depths

After reaching the docks, Moniruzzaman and his younger child disembarked, while his wife and elder child remained on the bus

At Rajbari’s Daulatdia Ferry Terminal, horror has struck as a bus carrying dozens of passengers, including families returning from Eid break, lost control and plunged into the turbulent Padma River.

Among those trapped were the wife and elder child of Moniruzzaman from Kushtia’s Shailkupa, who could only watch in helpless disbelief as the vehicle disappeared beneath the waves.

“I got off with my younger child. My wife and elder child were still on the bus… and they couldn’t get out,” he told bdnews24.com, his voice breaking, as he searched the docks in desperation.

Panic rippled through onlookers, officials, and rescue teams alike.

The bus, which had left from Kumarghat in Kushtia, had been waiting to board the ferry when it suddenly launched off the moving pontoon and sank around 5:15pm, plunging nearly 30 feet into the river.

Fire Service and Civil Defence teams, joined by diving units from Dhaka, Faridpur, and local stations, scrambled to the scene.

Goalanda Ghat Police chief Pranabendu Chandra Biswas told bdnews24.com late on Wednesday, “Heavy rain and storm are hampering operations.

“The Padma is turbulent, and the bus lies deep. The Fire Service, divers, and the rescue vessel Hamza are on site, but work is difficult.

“Police, Army, river police, DC, SP, and other officials are present. People are tense because they have no news of their loved ones,” he added.

Videos on social media captured the chaos: the bus teetering on the pontoon before plunging into the river, passengers struggling to escape, and onlookers desperately throwing ropes and lifebuoys to those surfacing.

Several passengers were rescued, but the search continues for many missing.