At least 24 people have died in central Bangladesh after a bus plunged into the Padma River.
The bus, which was carrying 40 passengers, lost control on Wednesday as it approached a ferry at Daulatdia in Rajbari district, about 100km (62 miles) from Dhaka, officials said on Thursday.
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Rescuers recovered 22 bodies from inside the submerged bus, including five children, 11 women and six men, fire service official Talha Bin Qasim said. Two more women died later, after being rescued, he said.
The overturned bus sank nearly 9 metres (30 feet) into the river, according to emergency workers.
“The bus was waiting to board a ferry when it fell into the river,” Noor Jahan Begum, 35, who witnessed the accident, told the AFP news agency. “Some passengers got out of the bus, but their family members died, trapped inside.”
Footage shared online and verified by Al Jazeera shows the bus toppling over an edge and plunging into the river. Amid the sound of shouting and screams of shock, people can be seen joining the rescue efforts, throwing long scarves to pull passengers out from the water as they desperately try to swim towards the terminal.
Four fire service units and 10 divers led search and rescue efforts, supported by the army, police, coastguard and local authorities. Officials fear more passengers may still be missing.
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Hundreds of people die each year in road and ferry accidents in Bangladesh.
Deadly crashes are relatively common in the South Asian nation because of poor roads, badly maintained vehicles and reckless driving. Bangladesh’s Road Safety Foundation reported more than 200 deaths during the just-concluded Eid holidays. In one incident, a train rammed into a bus, killing 12.
The World Health Organization says that while 5,000 traffic-related deaths are reported each year, it estimates that actual numbers are far higher, more than 31,500, according to figures from 2023.
That translates to more than 85 deaths a day in the country of 170 million people.
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