Railway Minister Lalu Prasad on Monday announced in Lok Sabha that a statutory inquiry, to be conducted by the Commissioner of Railway Safety, had been ordered in the Coromandel Express mishap.

Making a suo motu statement in the Lower House soon after the interim budget was presented, Prasad said the cause of the accident is being investigated.

He also announced relief to the victims of the mishap. "I have ordered payment of ex-gratia of Rs five lakh to the next of kin of each of the deceased, Rs 50,000 to the grievously injured and Rs 10,000 to simple injured...One dependent of each of the deceased will also be given employment in the Railways," he said.

The stipulated compensation up to Rs 4 lakh to the next of the kin of the deceased and to the injured, as may be decided by the Railway Claims Tribunal, will be payable in addition to this ex-gratia amount, Prasad said.

Nine passengers of the Howrah-Chennai Coromandel Express were killed when the train derailed at Jajpur-Keonjhar Road station in Orissa on February 13.

Five passengers were grievously injured while 121 passengers suffered minor injuries, Prasad told the House. Sixteen coaches of the train had been derailed.