In a providential escape, 38 passengers of a Dhaka-bound bus narrowly avoided a fatal disaster on Friday morning when the vehicle lost control and plunged into Padma River at Daulatdia Ferry Ghat in Rajbari.
The ‘SB Super Deluxe’ transport bus fell into the river from pontoon of Ferry Ghat No-7 around 9:30am while attempting to board a ferry.
A catastrophic loss of life was averted as the driver, and assistant had instructed all passengers to disembark before the vehicle moved onto the pontoon.
Following a two-and-a-half-hour effort, the rescue vessel “Hamza” successfully pulled the bus from the river at 11:55am. Both the driver and the helper were rescued alive, and no casualties were reported from the scene.
The bus had departed from Kushtia at 7am with 38 passengers. Upon arrival at the ghat at 9:30am, standard safety protocols were followed, and all passengers were asked to get off.
Immediately after, as the bus advanced onto the pontoon to board the ferry, it suddenly lost control and sank into the water.
“The driver made us all disembark upon reaching the ghat. Shortly after we got off, the bus lost control and fell into the river in the blink of an eye. By the grace of Allah, everyone survived because all the passengers had already stepped off,” Hirok Ahmed, a passenger travelling with his wife and child, described the harrowing moment.
To prevent future accidents, the district commissioner urged passengers and drivers to be more vigilant.
He emphasised that no one should remain inside a bus while it is boarding a ferry and that disembarkation must be mandatory.
He also noted that authorities are monitoring launches to ensure they do not carry additional passengers.
This incident mirrors a tragic accident on 25 March, when a ‘Sohardya Paribahan’ bus from Kushtia fell into Padma at Daulatdia Ferry Ghat No-3.
In that instance, 26 passengers trapped inside the vehicle lost their lives. Today’s early disembarkation prevented a repeat of that tragedy.
