Bangladesh: Bus plunges into Padma river, 16 dead; search on for missing

A passengers bus fell into the Padma river in Bangladesh on Wednesday evening. At least 16 people have died in the accident. The bus was reportedly trying to board a transport ferry when the driver of the vehicle lost control and the bus plunged into the water. There were at least 40 passengers onboard the bus at the time of the incident.

New Delhi: A bus fell into the Padma River in Bangladesh, killing at least 16 people. The vehicle was reportedly trying to board into a transport ferry when the accident occurred. The accident happened in southwestern district of Rajbari at the Dauladia terminal on Wednesday evening.

16 dead, several missing

According to a report in ‘The Hindu’, the bus fell into the Padma river at around 5:15 pm on Wednesday, March 25, 2026. Later a salvage vehicle, Hamza retrieved the bus using its cranes, from the water, said fire service officials. They confirmed that 14 bodies were found inside the bus.

  View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Anadolu English (@anadoluagency)

Video credit: Instagram @anadoluagency

Later on 2 more bodies were recovered from the river, by divers. These were the bodies of 2 women in their late 50s and 60s. The rescue efforts went on for close to 6 hours and the bus could be pulled out of the water only by midnight, said officials.

The rescue operations are on to retrieve either the bodies of the dead passengers, or pull out those alive. There were at least 40 passengers onboard the bus, when it fell into the river.

The bus was bound for Bangladesh’s capital, Dhaka. The passengers, mostly children were returning to the capital after the Eid holidays.

The Rajbari district administration said that PM Tarique Rahman personally enquired about the ongoing rescue operations. He has also ordered an investigation into the accident.

Police and rescue personnel said that around 11 passengers were either rescued or managed to swim to the shore. But several were still missing. Efforts were on to trace them, they added.

The Hindu, quoting the terminal supervisor Monir Hossain reported, “When the bus was heading towards the ferry from the pontoon, another smaller utility ferry hit the pontoon. It plunged into the river as the bus driver lost control of the steering.”

He added that the accident happened right before his eyes, but he could not do anything. A video of the incident is now going viral on the internet.

Reports said that several passengers of the bus were members of the same family. While some survived as they were standing outside the bus, when it fell into the river, many others perished.

Click for more latest World news. Also get top headlines and latest news from India and around the world at News9.

Mani Raj is a Chief Sub Editor at News9 Live. She writes on politics and international affairs and has an experience of more than 7 years in journalism. Previously, she has worked with the Times of India online team for over 4 years. She also has a strong interest in stories related to crime and women issues. In her seven-year-long career she has covered more than 5 state elections and 2 Lok Sabha Election. Hailing from Bihar, she has keen interest in politics of the state and has had the opportunity to do ground reporting in the state. She writes her stories after checking all facts and believes in delivering the best possible work for the readers. When not at work, she prefers reading and watching movies. She can be reached at mani.raj@tv9.com

News World News Bangladesh: Bus Plunges Into Padma River, 16 Dead; Search On For Missing News

© News9Live