Bus that plunged into Padma River at Daulatdia recovered, no casualties reported

The bus that plunged into the Padma River at the Daulatdia Ferry Terminal in Rajbari has been recovered, with no casualties reported in the accident.

At around 12:00 pm on Friday, salvage vessel Hamza lifted the bus from the riverbed, said Md Salah Uddin, assistant general manager of the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) Daulatdia office.

Earlier, at around 9:30 am, the SB Paribahan bus, travelling from Kushtia to Dhaka, went out of control after boarding a ferry and rolled into the river from Pontoon No. 7, bdnews24.com reports.

The bus entered the pontoon through the conventional pocket of the ferry Kabari before breaking through a ramp on the opposite side and falling into the river.

The bus was carrying no passengers, as the local administration had instructed that all passengers disembark before it was allowed onto the ferry.

The driver and his assistant were rescued and taken to hospital.

Salah Uddin said the salvage vessel and divers began operations immediately after the accident to recover the bus.

The empty vehicle was later lifted from the river.

On March 25, a Souhardya Paribahan bus travelling to Dhaka from Kumarkhali in Kushtia fell into the river while boarding a ferry from Pontoon No. 3 at the same terminal.

A total of 26 bodies were recovered from the river following that incident.