TN govt announces Rs three lakh ex-gratia to kin of each victim in Shornur train accident

CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government has announced financial assistance of Rs 3 lakh each for the families of sanitation workers killed in Palakkad train accident. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K.Stalin expressed his condolences to the families of the workers who are natives of Salem and proposed to pay the relief amount.

Rs three lakh will be paid to the kin of each victim. Railways also announced financial assistance of Rs one lakh each to the families. Railway contract workers Lakshmanan (60), his wife Valli (55), Rani (45), and Rani's husband Lakshmanan (48) died in the accident. All are natives of Ayothiapattinam, Salem.

Laxman's body was found in the evening during the search conducted today in Bharathapuzha river. The Kerala Express train going from Delhi to Thiruvananthapuram hit the four at 3 pm on Saturday.

Ten workers, including women, were walking through the bridge unaware of the train timings. The train screeched from nowhere and six of them ran into the safety cabin and escaped. However, four of them had nowhere to move and had to pay with their lives.

The workers lived with their families near the Ottapalam railway station.