At least twenty three people including two children were charred to death and 15 injured when a fire broke out in an Air-Conditioned coach of the Bengalore-Nanded express train in Ananthapur district of Andhra Pradesh during wee hours today. Initially fire broke out in D-1 coach and later spread to the next one.

The train was stopped at Puttaparthy station and the burning coaches were delinked. The fire was extinguished after evacuating the passengers.Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has expressed shock and grief over the loss of lives in the fire accident. He also spoke to Railway Minister Mallikarjun Kharge and inquired about the steps being taken for rescue and relief work at the accident site.

Describing the incident as tragic and most unfortunate, Mr. Kharge ordered an enquiry into the incident by Commissioner of Railway Safety. He announced an ex-gratia of 5 lakh rupees to the next of kin of the deceased, 1 lakh in case of grievous injuries and 50,000 for simple injuries.

The South Western Railways has set up a help desk in Bangalore that can be reached through phone number 080-22354108, 2259271, 22156554. The Prasanti Nilayam station number is 08555280125.