THIS is the chilling moment a packed passenger bus plunges into a river in front of terrified locals.
Around 50 people were reportedly on board when the bus tipped off the edge of ferry terminal and fell 30ft below with 16 bodies being pulled from the wreckage so far.
The bus became submerged under the water in Rajbari, Bangladesh at around 5.15pm as horrified onlookers watched the disaster.
Two bodies were recovered shortly after rescue crews arrived.
Officials from the Fire Service and Civil Defence confirmed another 14 passengers were found when they hauled the bus back to land.
The dead include four men, ten women and two children.
Authorities said the bus had been waiting to board when a smaller vessel struck the pontoon.
This caused the vehicle full of terrified passengers to plunge into the murky waters below.
As the bus sunk beneath the surface, passengers could reportedly be heard screaming while others desperately tried to smash the windows.
Eleven passengers were able to swim ashore in the immediate aftermath, but many more are thought to still be trapped inside the vehicle.
Rescue efforts were quickly launched, with divers from the Fire Service and Civil Defence, river police, and ferry authorities rushing to the scene.
Authorities confirmed the vehicle was located at a depth of 30ft underwater.
However, strong currents and poor visibility hampered rescue efforts.
Rescue vessel Hamza finally managed to haul the sunken bus from the water at around 11.50pm.
An eyewitness said he was recording a video on the pontoon when the accident happened.
“I was standing on the pontoon filming when I suddenly heard people shouting,” he told Dhaka Tribune.
“As I looked up, I saw the bus leave the pontoon and plunge rapidly into the water.”
The witness added that the bus was fully packed with passengers trying to get home during the post-Eid rush.
This incident has raised fresh concerns over safety measures employed on key transport routes across the country.
Last week, at least 12 people were killed after a train smashed into a bus at a level crossing.
The horror crash killed three members of the same family, including two children, and nine others in Cumilla.
Local reports suggest the barriers had not been lowered at the time of the incident.
In the immediate aftermath, the injured passengers were rushed to a nearby hospital and the train line was suspended for three hours.
The office of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman said: “The Prime Minister conveyed profound condolences over the loss of lives in the collision between a train and a bus at a railway crossing in Cumilla.”