At least 26 people were killed after a passenger bus carrying more than 40 people plunged into the Padma River at Daulatdia Ferry Ghat on Wednesday afternoon, with eight others still missing.
The accident took place around 5:20pm when a Souhardo Paribahan bus was attempting to board a ferry at pontoon no-3.
It was known that the bus lost control, overturned, and sank to a depth of about 60 feet.
According to the Fire Service and Civil Defence, the situation worsened when a utility ferry, Hasna Hena, struck the pontoon with force, causing the driver to lose control and the bus to fall into the river.
Rescue operations began immediately, involving the Fire Service, Navy divers, and local volunteers. The rescue vessel, Hamza, recovered the bus at around 12:35am on Thursday, nearly seven hours after it sank.
Authorities confirmed that eight passengers were rescued alive. A total of 25 bodies have been recovered so far - 22 from inside the bus by the fire service, two by local residents, and one by navy divers.
The deceased include 11 women, eight men, and seven children from several districts, with many from Rajbari.
Of them, Rehena Akter, 61, Johura Anti, 27, Kazi Saif, 30, Ahnaf Tahmid Khan, 25, Soha Akter, 11, Morjina Akter, 32, Safia Akter Rinthi, 12, Faiz Shahanoor, 11, Abdur Rahman, 6, Nazmira Jesmin, 30, Tajbid, 7, Arman Khan, 31, Lima Akter, 26, Jochna, 35, and Sabit Hasan, 8, were from Rajbari District.
From Kushtia, the deceased include Morjina Khatun, 56, Rajib Biswas, 28, Israfil, 3, and Ayesha Siddiqua, 13.
Victims from other districts include a seven-month-old child named Arman from Jhenaidah, Ayesha Akter Suma, 30, from Dhaka, Mukta Khanam, 38, from Gopalganj, and Nasima, 40, from Dinajpur.
Of the deceased, 22 bodies have already been handed over to their families.
Rescue teams are continuing operations to locate the remaining missing passengers.
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