Narrow escape: Man gets off two minutes before bus tragedy
Abul Kalam was returning to Dhaka after the Eid-ul-Fitr holiday when he boarded a Sowharda Paribahan bus at the Daulatdia terminal, heading to Badda, where he works at a private company, on Wednesday.
Kalam sat on the bus for about 10–15 minutes. Due to traffic congestion near the ferry ghat, he got off the bus just two minutes before it plunged into the Padma River. However, his bag remained inside the vehicle.
Speaking to Jago News, Kalam said, “I watched the bus slowly sink into the river right in front of me. I didn’t know whether to take out my phone and record a video or what to do.” He added that the scene left him completely shocked.
“My bag contained my most valuable possessions—original certificates, my NID, documents for preparing to go to South Korea, and Tk 4,500 in cash,” he said.
After the bus sank, Kalam could not immediately return to Dhaka, as he was waiting for his bag. Eventually, his bag was recovered from the bus. At least 25 or more passengers’ bags were also retrieved and kept at the Daulatdia River Police Outpost. The police are returning the bags to their owners after proper verification.
On Thursday morning (March 26), Kalam located his bag at the police outpost and received it.
Kalam said, “When the bus sank with passengers inside, I never imagined I would get my bag back. Still, I held onto hope that I might.” He added, “If I had stayed on the bus, I might not have survived today.”
Asked about the contents of the bag, he listed Tk 4,500 in cash, original certificates, NID card, office documents, and papers related to his travel plans to South Korea.
Although he recovered his belongings, Kalam remains saddened by the deaths of passengers in the accident. “I could have been among the deceased if I hadn’t left the bus two minutes earlier,” he said.
He also criticised the ferry authorities, saying, “There was negligence on the part of the ferry management. Vehicles were allowed to depart before the ferry arrived. If the ferry had been in place, we might not have witnessed this tragedy.”