At least 26 people are confirmed dead as a result of an accident as passengers and vehicles were being loaded onto a ferry on the Padma River in central Bangladesh on Wednesday, March 25.
The incident occurred at the Daulatdia ferry terminal in Rajbari District approximately 100 kilometres west of the capital Dhaka when a bus carrying over 40 people reportedly lost control while attempting to board the unidentified vessel at around 17:15 local time on Wednesday.
The bus plunged into the river and eventually settled to a depth of nine metres with the driver and passengers still trapped on board.
Rescuers from the Bangladesh Coast Guard and other local agencies initially recovered the bodies of 16 deceased individuals from the submerged vehicle. Two adult female passengers were still alive when they were pulled out of the river but were pronounced deceased after they were brought to hospital.
Search and rescue (SAR) teams found another eight bodies by 14:00 on Thursday, raising the incident's confirmed death toll to 26.
The deceased also included 11 women and seven small children.
Officials said that other people who were also on the bus may still be unaccounted for, thus prompting the continuation of the SAR effort.
