Rana Plaza survivor dies in Padma River bus accident

A woman who survived the 2013 Rana Plaza collapse died in a bus accident after the vehicle plunged into the Padma River.

Nasima Begum, 40, from Parbatipur in Dinajpur, was among four members of the same family killed in the incident near Daulatdia in Rajbari on Wednesday afternoon while travelling to Dhaka.

The other victims were her pregnant niece Azmira Khatun, Azmira’s husband Abdul Aziz Azad, and their four-year-old son Abdur Rahman. Funeral prayers were held on Friday following Juma prayers, and the victims were buried at a local family graveyard.

According to family members and local sources, the bus lost control near the Daulatdia-Paturia ferry ghat area and fell into the river. Abdul Aziz was initially rescued alive, but the others went missing. After a search operation, the bodies of Nasima and three others were recovered from the river around 11:30pm, nearly six hours after the accident.

In a further incident, the ambulance carrying the bodies was involved in a minor accident in Kushtia while returning home, though no additional casualties were reported.

Nasima had previously survived the Rana Plaza collapse, where she remained trapped under debris for three days before being rescued. After losing her husband, she had decided to return to Dhaka in search of livelihood—a journey that tragically became her last.

Local police confirmed the incident and said authorities are providing support to the bereaved family. The district administration has provided Tk 25,000 in financial assistance.