An employee of the Panchayat Raj Department was killed on the spot after he fell off from an overcrowded RTC bus bound for Bhadrachalam at M.G. Road in Kothagudem town on Saturday afternoon.
The police identified the deceased as A. Nageswara Rao (43) Bill Collector, Gram Panchayat Office, Burgumpadu.
According to sources, Nageswara Rao suddenly lost balance while reportedly standing on the footboard of the bus and accidentally fell down from the moving vehicle at MG Road in the coal town.
He was crushed to death under the rear wheels of the bus on the spot, sources added.
He was travelling in the overcrowded special bus for the Godavari Pushkaralu to report to duty, sources said.
Meanwhile, scores of pilgrims bound for Bhadrachalam were stuck in traffic jams for over an hour on Kothagudem-Sarapaka main road in the afternoon.
Hundreds of vehicles including RTC buses were stranded on either side of the main road for several kilometers due to traffic congestion, prompting the police to regulate the movement of vehicular traffic on the busy road.
The temple town of Bhadrachalam witnessed an unprecedented pilgrim rush on Saturday.
