Agri officer dies, 10 hurt as school bus hits bike

Eluru: An agriculture officer was killed on the spot and 10 others including another government officer were seriously injured, when a school bus hit a motorbike near Devaragondi tribal village in Polavaram mandal of West Godavari district on Friday.

According to police, the district officials engaged private school buses to take people to the inaugural function of the concrete works of the spillway of Polavaram Project Spillway at Ramayyapeta village in Polavaram mandal.

The officials announced holiday for the schools in the district so as to use the school buses.

A private school bus from Tanuku was carrying women from Tanuku area to the Chief Minister’s programme at Polavaram Project site.

When the bus reached Saddle Bridge near Devaragondi Tribal village in Polavaram mandal, the driver tried to avoid collision with a scooterist and hit a motorbike that was heading towards the Polavaram Project site.

The bike rider Kakara Venugopala Rao (42), an agriculture officer from Kovvuru, died on the spot in the mishap. An Agriculture Extension officer Rambabu, pillion rider on the vehicle sustained severe injuries.

After running over the motorbike, the bus driver lost control over the vehicle and it hit a knoll at the turning of the road resulting in nine women travelling in the bus sustaining minor injuries.

Agriculture officer Venugopala Rao is survived by wife and two children. He was heading towards Polavaram on government duty when the mishap took place.

The injured were shifted to Polavaram Primary Health Centre. As the condition of the Agriculture Extension officer Rambabu is stated to be serious, he was shifted to Rajahmundry Government Hospital.