A passenger bus carrying approximately 50 people plunged into the Padma River at Rajbari ferry ghat Tuesday afternoon around 5 PM local time, as the vehicle attempted to board a ferry crossing. Rescue operations pulled at least 11 survivors from the water, but the fate of dozens more passengers remained unknown as darkness fell.
Witnesses at the scene reported the bus—operated by a local transport company—was attempting to board the ferry when it slipped off the ramp and plummeted into the river. The Padma, one of Bangladesh's major rivers, runs wide and treacherous at the crossing point.
"The helper was driving," multiple eyewitnesses told local media, suggesting the regular driver may not have been at the wheel during the critical maneuver onto the ferry. In Bangladesh's transport sector, helpers—often young men learning the trade—sometimes take the wheel despite lacking proper training or licensing.
The Rajbari ferry crossing serves as a vital link for thousands of daily commuters traveling between Dhaka and southwestern districts. Passengers crowd onto buses, often standing in aisles, as families make essential journeys for work, medical care, or to visit relatives.
For the families waiting at bus terminals in Faridpur and Dhaka, the afternoon became an agonizing wait for news. Mobile phones rang unanswered. A mother expecting her daughter home from university. A husband waiting for his wife returning from her parents' village. Fifty stories, now submerged in the Padma's murky waters.
Local rescue teams, joined by Bangladesh Fire Service divers, worked through the evening to locate the submerged vehicle. The swift current and poor visibility complicated efforts. Eleven survivors were pulled from the water and rushed to Rajbari Medical College Hospital, some in critical condition.
This isn't Bangladesh's first ferry tragedy—or even its first this year. The nation's river crossings, essential for a country crisscrossed by waterways, have claimed hundreds of lives through overcrowding, mechanical failures, and inadequate safety measures. has more than 700 rivers, and millions depend on ferries and river transport daily.
