26 dead, search for 6 missing continues after bus plunges into Bangladesh's Padma River
Bus carrying about 40 passengers plunged into river while boarding ferry in Rajbari district in central Bangladesh
People gather along the riverbank waiting for updates on missing passengers after a Dhaka-bound passenger bus waiting to cross the river lost control and fell from a pontoon into the Padma River at Daulatdia ferry terminal in the town of Goalanda in the central Rajbari district, on March 25, 2026. About 40 passengers on board the bus plunged into the large Padma River. In a joint operation involving Fire Service, Bangladesh Navy, Coast Guard, law enforcement agencies and local residents, seven more bodies have been recovered from the bus, bringing the death toll to 25. Among the bodies recovered from the bus are five children and 13 women. The recovered bodies were handed over to relatives at Rajbari Sadar Hospital, where family members broke down in grief.
DHAKA, Bangladesh
Divers recovered 26 dead bodies and continued searching for at least six more missing people after a passenger bus fell into Bangladesh's Padma River, fire services said Thursday.
About 40 passengers on board the bus plunged into the large Padma River on Wednesday while it was boarding a ferry at the Daulatdia ferry terminal in the town of Goalanda in the central Rajbari district.
Seven more bodies have been recovered from the bus, bringing the death toll to 25, said the fire service.
Among the bodies recovered from the bus are five children and 13 women.
Divers also rescued eight alive, it said.
Fire service personnel pulled the bus out with the help of the rescue ship Hamza about six hours after it sank.
However, the rescue work was hampered by rain.
The bus sank to a depth of over 60 feet while people were returning to the capital Dhaka after the seven-day Muslim Eid-ul-Fitr holiday.
Several units of divers are still doing rescue operations.
Two groups have been formed to investigate the incident.
Anadolu Agency website contains only a portion of the news stories offered to subscribers in the AA News Broadcasting System (HAS), and in summarized form. Please contact us for subscription options.
