Heavy rain, rough waters disrupt efforts to recover bus submerged in Padma

Adverse weather conditions have severely disrupted rescue operations and ferry services at Daulatdia Ferry Terminal in Rajbari after a bus lost control and plunged into the Padma River.

Heavy rain and a storm struck the area, with the chaos creating massive traffic congestion at both Aricha and Daulatdia docks on Wednesday.

The bodies of two women have been recovered from the river, Rajbari District Civil Surgeon SM Masud confirmed.

The bodies are at the Gopalganj Upazila Health Complex, but their identities have not yet been determined.

The bus, belonging to Showhardo Transport and bound for Dhaka from Kumarkhali in Kushtia, was waiting to board the ferry around 5:15pm on Wednesday when it suddenly plunged into the water from the pontoon and sank.

Fire Service and Civil Defence Headquarters reported that the vehicle rests approximately 30 feet underwater.

A rescue unit from Gopalganj Fire Service and a diving team from Aricha are conducting recovery operations, with two additional diver units en route from Dhaka and Faridpur.

Pranbandhu Chandra Biswas, chief of Gopalganj Docks Police, said: “There is a heavy storm, accompanied by rain. The Padma is rough, and the bus is deep underwater. Fire Service teams, divers, and the salvage vessel Hamza are all on site, but progress is slow.

“Police, Army, Navy, DC, SP, and other law enforcement are present. The public is anxious because they still have no news of their relatives.”

Among those affected, a woman, known only as Protyasha, travelling via JR Transport from Meherpur to Dhaka, reached Daulatdia docks around 7:45pm.

“It’s stormy and the ferry is some distance away. Cars are lined up behind us. Passengers outside said the ferry wasn’t operating, so we are waiting,” she said.

Abdus Salam, DGM of BIWTA’s Aricha ghat, told reporters around 8:45pm that ferry services had briefly halted due to the weather but have now resumed.

Multiple videos circulating on social media show the exact moment when the bus launched into the river, with passengers and onlookers scrambling to assist.

Some survivors were later pulled to safety using ropes and life buoys from the pontoon and ferry, as shown in video clips.