Ex-gratia will be given to injured and kin of dead, says Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu

Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu on Monday said that the government will announce an ex gratia payment for those injured and to the relatives of the five persons killed in this Bangalore-Nanded Express-lorry accident in Anantpur, Andhra Pradesh.

Prabhu's announcement came soon after Anil Saxena, PRO of the Railways informed that some trains on the South Central and South Western Railway lines have been diverted because of the railway accident.

The Bangalore-Nanded Express train collided with a lorry that was crossing the railway track in Anantpur, Andhra Pradesh.

The collision resulted in the derailment of four coaches and claimed the lives of at least five persons and injured another 25, Saxena said.

Preliminary reports confirmed that Karnataka MLA Venkatesh Nayak was among the five people killed.

Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu is monitoring the situation closely, Saxena said.