A passenger bus from Kushtia to Dhaka fell into the Padma River at Daulatdia ferry ghat on Friday morning, but no casualties occurred due to strict adherence to passenger safety rules. The incident took place around 9:30 a.m. when the SB Paribahan bus lost control while boarding the ferry Kabari at ghat number 7 and broke through the opposite ramp before plunging into the river.
Following the Ministry of Shipping’s directive requiring all passengers to disembark before vehicles board ferries, all passengers had left the bus, preventing any loss of life. Rescue operations began immediately, and both the driver and assistant were rescued alive and are receiving treatment at a hospital.
The Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority’s salvage vessel Hamza recovered the bus with coordinated support from the Ministry of Shipping, BIWTA, BIWTC, naval police, fire service, coast guard, and local administration. The shipping minister and state minister monitored the operation and issued further safety instructions to prevent future ferry terminal accidents.