UNB, Rajbari:: The death toll from the bus plunge into the Padma River at Daulatdia ferry ghat in Rajbari’s Goalanda upazila has risen to 23.
Of the recovered bodies, 21 have been handed over to relatives, said Assistant Commissioner and Executive Magistrate Md Hafizur Rahman.
The bodies of the driver and a woman have been kept at Rajbari Sadar Hospital.
Divers initially recovered 21 bodies from the submerged bus.
Two more victims were later taken to Goalanda Upazila Health Complex where doctors declared them dead, bringing the total fatalities to 23.
The accident occurred around 5:15pm on Wednesday at the No. 3 ferry ghat when a Dhaka-bound passenger bus of Souharda Paribahan lost control and fell off a pontoon into the river.
Witnesses and transport officials said the bus had left Kumarkhali in Kushtia with a small number of passengers and picked up more along the way.
Around 45 passengers were believed to be on board at the time of the accident.
Following the accudent, rail and river transport authorities, along with local administration and law enforcement, launched rescue operations.
Multiple diver teams from fire service units in Faridpur and Manikganj took part in the effort.
A salvage vessel of the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority later retrieved the bus after nearly seven hours of operation.
The district administration has formed a five-member high-level probe committee led by the Additional District Magistrate, to investigate the cause of the accident.
The committee has been asked to submit its report within three working days.
Senior officials, including State Minister for Shipping Md. Rajib Ahsan, State Minister for Cultural Affairs and Rajbari-1 MP Ali Newaz Mahmud Khaiyum, Rajbari-2 MP Md Harun-or-Rashid, District Administrator Sultana Akter and Superintendent of Police Mohammad Monjur Morshed, visited the site following the accident.
