Zakir Hossain Goalanda Rajbari: A horrific accident has occurred again at Daulatdia ferry ghat in Goalanda upazila of Rajbari. The incident of a passenger bus losing control and plunging directly into the Padma river has created intense excitement and panic in the area.
The accident took place at ferry ghat number 7 in Daulatdia at around 9:15 am today (June 5).
Ghat sources and eyewitnesses said that the long-distance bus that was involved in the accident belongs to a renowned transport company called ‘SB Paribahan’. The Dhaka-bound bus, which had left Kushtia, was boarding pontoon number 7 of Daulatdia ghat when the driver suddenly lost control. Within moments, the bus skidded off the pontoon and fell into the raging Padma river, disappearing.
Confirming the incident, Mohammad Salahuddin, Assistant General Manager of the Daulatdia Ghat Office of the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC), told the media, “Around 9 am, the SB Paribahan bus, which was heading from Kushtia to Dhaka, lost control from the Daulatdia Ferry Ghat No. 7 pontoon and fell into the Padma. However, it is a matter of relief that no casualties have been reported so far. According to initial evidence and eyewitness accounts, it is believed that the passengers were being disembarked immediately after the bus boarded the pontoon, as a result of which no major loss of life occurred.” Meanwhile, senior administration officials have quickly taken action after receiving news of the incident. Rajbari Deputy Commissioner Afroza Parvin said in an immediate response, “I immediately left for the scene to supervise the rescue operation after I heard about the bus sinking in the Padma. Instructions have been given to the fire service and the concerned authorities to start the rescue operation immediately.”
District Commissioner Afroza Parvin came to inspect the scene and said that there were no casualties in the accident. No accident occurred as the administration let the passengers off the bus. The bus crashed due to brake failure. The matter will be investigated and action will be taken.
It is worth noting that this is not the first incident of a bus falling into the river from a pontoon at Daulatdia Ferry Ghat. Earlier, on March 25, another bus named ‘Souhardya Paribahan’ carrying passengers from Kumarkhali in Kushtia to Dhaka lost control while boarding the ferry at pontoon number 3 of Daulatdia Ferry Ghat and fell into the river in a similar manner. In that tragic and heartbreaking accident, 26 bodies were recovered. Repeated accidents of the same type have raised extreme anger and questions among ordinary passengers and locals regarding the safety of the wharf and the deadlines for pontoon management.
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