Bangladesh: At least 24 killed as bus plunges into river

At least 24 people, including women and children, were killed on Thursday after a bus packed with passengers slipped off the deck of a ferry and sank into the waters of the Padma River in Bangladesh, while on its way to the capital Dhaka.

The fatal accident occurred when the bus driver tried to board a ferry located dozens of kilometers from the capital. According to reports from the police and local fire services, the vehicle overturned and sank to a depth of about 9 meters. On the bus were between 40 and 50 passengers, most of them workers who were on their way back to work after the Eid al-Fitr holiday.

The rescue efforts, which included four fire units, ten divers, and assistance from the army and the coast guard, faced significant difficulties due to heavy rains and strong currents in the river. Only after a complex operation that lasted about seven hours was a specialized vessel able to extract the bus from the water.

Official rescue sources confirmed that 22 bodies were recovered from the submerged vehicle, including six men, eleven women, and five children. Two additional women died in hospital after being rescued.

While official sources put the death toll at 24, local media in Bangladesh report at least 26 victims, and there are serious fears that more missing persons were swept away by the current. Eyewitnesses said that some of the passengers managed to swim to shore and were saved, but many others were trapped inside the bus and drowned to death.

The authorities in Bangladesh announced the establishment of a five-member investigative committee to examine the circumstances of the incident. It should be noted that road accidents are very common in Bangladesh and claim hundreds of victims every year, mostly due to safety deficiencies, overloading, and poor infrastructure.