Congress MLA among 5 killed in AP train accident - Five people, including a Congress MLA from Karnataka, were killed after a truck hit a coach of train in Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh in the early hours today.

According to the DIG of Anantapur, K Satyanarayana, the trolley hit the train at Madakasira railway gate and the granite boulder crashed against the first-class carriage of the train. 4 coaches (B-1, H1, S-1, S-2, B-1 and H-1) were also derailed in the accident.

Satyanarayana said that 4 persons, including Congress MLA Venkatesh Naik from Deodurg in Raichur district of Karnataka, travelling in the train were killed on the spot.

The trolley sped onto the railway track in spite of the railway gate and the brakes of the trolley failed. The AC bogie was crushed and 3 sleeper coaches of the train derailed in the incident, Satyanarayana said.

Andhra Pradesh Information Minister P Raghunath Reddy, who hails from Anantapur district, said that postmortem has been conducted on the 5 bodies of the victims at Penukonda Hospital in the district. He has asked for an ex gratia of more than Rs 10 lakh to the families of the victims.

Railway has released help line numbers, Help line desk at Penukonda Station: 0855220244, Help line desk at Bangalore City Railway Station: 080 22354108, 09731666751, 080 22156553.