Train fire mishap: Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi announces compensation

NEW DELHI: Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi today condoled the loss of lives in the fire mishap in the Howrah-Dehradun Express and announced an ex-gratia of Rs five lakh to the next of kin of those killed.

All other passengers in the affected B-1 and B-2 AC coaches will get Rs 25000 as immediate financial assistance for the inconvenience caused due to the fire, he said.

There were a total of 128 passengers in the two coaches of which seven were charred to death after fire broke out in the train in Jharkhand's Giridih district in the wee hours today.

The fire, which broke out around 3 am in B-1 AC coach and then spread to spread to B-2 AC coach, was spotted in the coach between Gomo and Nimiaghat railway stations, he said.

Dhanbad DRM and a railway medical team have reached the site and catering arrangements have been made for the stranded passengers.