14 bodies along with the sunken bus recovered from Padma

The passenger bus of Sauhardya Paribahan that sank in the Padma river at Daulatdia Ghat in Rajbari has finally been recovered. The bus was lifted from the river by the crane of the rescue ship 'Hamza' around 12 midnight on Wednesday (March 25). Along with this, 14 bodies have been recovered.

Earlier, at 4:45 pm, the driver of the bus lost control over the steering while it was being boarded the ferry and sank in the deep waters of the river. There were about 45-50 passengers on the bus coming from Kushtia. Only seven passengers were able to swim to the shore after the accident.

Rajbari Civil Surgeon Dr. SM Masud said that at this stage of the rescue operation, 14 bodies have been recovered. Among them, the bodies of two women have been kept at the Goalanda Upazila Health Complex after identification. However, it is feared that there may be more missing passengers.

Faridpur Fire Service Commander Md. Belal Uddin said that about 40 passengers were suspected to be trapped underwater. The Fire Service and Coast Guard diving teams are jointly searching for the missing persons. A special team of the police and army is also assisting in the rescue operation.

Although the bus has been recovered, rescuers are working to confirm whether more passengers are trapped inside. However, the work is slow due to the strong current of the Padma and adverse conditions.