In Tamil Nadu, at least 10 passengers were killed and 86 injured in a train accident near Arakonam in Vellore district on Tuesday night. The accident occured when the Chennai Beach-Vellore Cantonment Mainline Electrical Multiple Unit (MEMU) hit the rear of the Arakkonam-Katpadi passenger that was waiting for signal at the Chitheri station.Eight coaches have been derailed and three coaches were completely damaged. Five bogies of the stationary train and three bogies of the moving train also derailed. The injured passengers were shifted to the Naval and Government Hospitals in Arakkonam. Rescue and relief operations are going on in full swing.Director-General of Police K. Ramanujam told our correspondent that adequate manpower, including a company of the Tamil Nadu Special Police, have been deployed in the rescue operations.Railway Minister Mr. Dinesh Trivedi has said that the initial investigation points to the high speed of the electric train as the cause of the accident.Speaking to reporters at Chennai Airport, he said the real cause for the accident would be ascertained after the investigation is completed. The Railways have announced an ex gratia of five lakh rupees to the families of the dead and one lakh rupees to the seriously injured.Chitheri, a small village in Tamil Nadu had just gone to sleep when the sound of a big bang caused by the train collision woke it up with a shock. The impact of the collision was so powerful that three coaches of the stationary train and two of the electric train were thrown off the track.Broken parts of trains and personal belongings of the passengers were scattered around the spot.The Arakkonam Government Hospital, where several of the injured have been admitted, was witness to moving scenes as anxious relatives thronged the hospital looking for their near and dear ones. About 25 seriously injured have been shifted to hospitals in Chennai.One of the injured passengers recalled the event narrating that he first heard an ear-breaking sound and within seconds he found himself lying on the track. The relief operations that began last night are nearing completion. Officials hope that the traffic in this route will be resumed in the afternoon.Railways have made many helpline numbers operational to help the families of the victims. The numbers are 09244919572, 044-25357398, 044-25380710, 044-25355793, 044-25353438 and 044-25352639.Railways has ordered an inquiry into the train accident at Sitheri in Tamil Nadu which has left nine persons dead. Railway Ministry spokesman Anil Kumar Saxena said in New Delhi that Commissioner Railway Safety, Southern zone, SK Mittal will conduct the inquiry into the cause of the accident and submit the report at the earliest.