A passenger bus lost control and fell into the Padma River at the Daulatdia ferry terminal in Rajbari’s Goalanda upazila on Wednesday around 5:30 p.m. The bus, belonging to Souhardya Paribahan, was attempting to board pontoon number 3 when it slipped into the river. Seven injured passengers were taken to Goalanda Upazila Health Complex, while 45 others remain missing. Local sources said the bus had departed from Kumarkhali in Kushtia earlier in the afternoon with 56 passengers, most of whom were returning to their workplaces after the Eid holidays.

A local resident named Rajib claimed that four bodies had been recovered so far. Rescue operations began after the salvage vessel Hamza reached the site, but neither the submerged bus nor additional passengers had been found at the time of reporting. Officials from BIWTC, Goalanda Ghat Police Station, and the Fire Service and Civil Defence could not be reached for comment due to ongoing rescue efforts.

Authorities continued search and recovery operations late into the evening, with uncertainty remaining over the fate of the missing passengers.