Dozens of people died after passenger bus fell into Padma river in Bangladesh. news

Children were also among the dead when a bus carrying 40 passengers fell into the river while trying to board a boat.

At least 24 people have died after a bus fell into the Padma river in central Bangladesh.

The bus, which was carrying 40 passengers, lost control on Wednesday as it approached a ferry in Daulatdiya in Rajbari district, about 100 km (62 miles) from Dhaka, officials said Thursday.

Fire service official Talha bin Qasim said rescue workers recovered 22 bodies from inside the sunken bus, including five children, 11 women and six men. Two more women later died after being rescued, he said.

According to emergency workers, the overturned bus sank about 9 meters (30 ft) into the river.

“The bus was waiting to board the ferry when it fell into the river,” Noorjahan Begum, 35, who witnessed the accident, told AFP news agency. “Some passengers came out of the bus, but their family members were trapped inside and died.”

Footage shared online and verified by Al Jazeera showed the bus falling off a bank and into the river. Amidst the sounds of screams and cries of shock, people could be seen joining the rescue efforts, throwing long scarves to pull passengers out of the water as they tried to swim towards the terminal.

Four fire service units and 10 divers led the search and rescue efforts with support from the army, police, coast guard and local authorities. Officials fear that more passengers may still go missing.

Hundreds of people die every year in road and boat accidents in Bangladesh.

Fatal accidents are relatively common in the South Asian nation due to bad roads, poorly maintained vehicles and reckless driving. The Road Safety Foundation of Bangladesh reported more than 200 deaths during the recently concluded Eid holidays. In one incident, a train collided with a bus, killing 12 people.

The World Health Organization says that while there are 5,000 traffic-related deaths each year, it estimates the real number is much higher, more than 31,500 as of 2023.

This means more than 85 deaths a day in the country of 170 million people.