At least 23 people died after a passenger bus fell into the Padma River in Bangladesh’s Rajbari district on Wednesday, officials said, as rescue teams continued searching for survivors and those still missing.
A video shared online shows the bus tipping over the edge and plunging into the river. A few passengers are seen managing to swim and being pulled by the shore.
The bodies had been recovered so far, but more people could still be trapped. “We have recovered 23 dead bodies so far. There may be some still missing, and a few people survived. Since it is night, the rescue operation is somewhat paused, but a combined rescue operation is ongoing," Police inspector Russel Mollah had said, as quoted by news agency ANI.
The accident took place around 5 pm near ferry terminal number 3 in Daulatdia. The bus, which was travelling from Rajbari to Dhaka, was on a ferry when it fell into the river.
Officials said it was carrying around 40 passengers, though witnesses claimed the number could be higher as the bus had picked up travellers along the way.
Rescue teams, including fire service personnel and divers, launched an operation soon after the incident. According to reports, the rescue ship Hamza managed to pull the submerged bus out of the river nearly six hours later. Around 11.15 pm, part of the vehicle became visible, and by 11.30 pm, the entire bus was lifted using a crane.
