Death toll in Padma bus sinking rises to 26

The death toll after a bus veered out of control at Daulatdia Ferry Dock in Rajbari and sank into the Padma River has hit 26.

Seven men, 11 women, and eight children have been counted among the dead, according to Additional Superintendent of Police Taposh Kumar Pal.

The Dhaka-bound Showhardo Paribahan bus from Kushtia’s Kumarkhali was waiting at the dock to board a ferry when it veered out of control on the pontoon and plunged into the turbulent waters.

 The bus had set off from Kushtia with only six passengers, but by the time it arrived in Daulatdia, it had over 40 on board.

Witness accounts and videos show the bus waiting to board a ferry at pontoon No. 3 when it suddenly starts moving out of the driver’s control. It then runs off the pontoon, overturns, and falls into the Padma, immediately sinking into the river.

Although a few people were able to swim and escape, most of the passengers were trapped in the bus.

 The bus was submerged 70 to 80 feet deep in the river, said Md Belal Uddin, assistant director of the Fire Service's Faridpur station.

The front of the bus was pulled out of the river around 11:15 pm on Wednesday by the rescue ship “Hamza”. The bodies then began to pile up.

A pall of mourning has descended on the area since the accident. The air at the accident site and the hospital are heavy with the cries of the victims’ families.

According to the hospital and other sources, 14 bodies have been handed over to their families from Rajbari Sadar Hospital. Five more are being processed for handing over. Two more bodies have been handed over to the families at the Goalanda Upazila Health Complex.

Many families are still searching for the missing.