Rescuers Find Bus Beneath Pontoon in Padma River, Recovery Delayed

Highlights

The passenger bus that fell into the Padma River has been located about 30 feet underwater.
The bus is trapped under a pontoon, making rescue efforts extremely difficult.
Divers are unable to break the bus doors and windows due to its position.
Rescue operations are continuing with the help of the salvage vessel Hamza.
Only 5 to 7 passengers were able to escape immediately after the accident.

A passenger bus of Souhardo Paribahan, which was traveling from Kushtia to Dhaka, fell into the Padma River while boarding a ferry. Fire Service divers later located the bus at a depth of around 30 feet in the river.

Bus Trapped Under Pontoon, Rescue Complicated

According to the Fire Service, the bus is stuck beneath the pontoon, which is preventing divers from breaking the doors and windows to search inside. They said,

“বাসটি পন্টুনের নিচে চলে গেছে। যে কারণে বাসের জানালা ও দরজা ভাঙা যাচ্ছে না।”
Translation: “The bus has gone under the pontoon, which is why its windows and doors cannot be broken.”

Fire Service officials said that one unit from Goalanda and one diver unit from Aricha Ghat were already working at the scene at Padma River. Additional diver units from Dhaka and Faridpur were on their way to assist.

Few Passengers Managed to Escape

Local residents and survivors said that only five to seven passengers were able to come out of the bus immediately after it fell into the river. One survivor, Abdul Azizul, said he boarded the bus from Kalukhali and managed to swim ashore, but his wife and child remain missing.

Salvage Vessel Hamza Assisting in Recovery

The Fire Service confirmed that the bus has been identified underwater and efforts are ongoing to lift it with the assistance of the salvage vessel Hamza operated by Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority. However, eyewitnesses complained that the rescue vessel and diver teams arrived late and that rescue work began more than an hour after the accident.

Source: Channel 24