Wednesday, July 12 2006 17:28 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Railway Minister Lalu Prasad has announced Rs.500,000 compensation to the next of kin of those killed in the Mumbai blasts, the ministry said Wednesday while announcing that all suburban train services in the city had been restored.

All Mumbai suburban train services on the Western Railway route hit by the blasts were on track and running.

"All suburban train services have been restored in Mumbai on the Church Gate-Virar-Borivali route since this morning besides restoration of main line services," the railway ministry statement said here Wednesday.

The minister, who visited the blast sites Tuesday night and the injured in hospital, announced Rs.500,000 compensation to next of kin of those dead, Rs.50,000 for grievously injured and Rs.10,00 for people with simple injuries, the official statement said.

Besides providing fresh clothes to the needy and shifting the critically injured to speciality hospitals, "The railway minister has ordered for the provision of temporary cell phone connections to the injured persons in the hospitals for communication with their relatives".

The railways has estimated that around 180 people have died and over 700 injured in the eight blasts involving seven trains Tuesday evening.

"As of now, 180 people have died in these bomb blasts, out of which 76 bodies have been identified. In addition, 157 persons have been grievously injured and 187 have received simple injuries," the official statement said.

Besides, 372 people who received trivial injuries left for their homes after being given first-aid.

The identification of death cases is continuing and the railways are making arrangements for flashing photographs of those remaining unidentified in the media, the statement said.