New Delhi  - The Indian government has launched a high-level inquiry into a train accident in the eastern state of Orissa that claimed nine lives and left 45 wounded, officials said Saturday.

Junior Railways Minister R Velu announced that the probe will ascertain how the Coromandel Express derailed from its tracks at Jajpur, 120 kilometres of state capital Bhubaneshwar on Friday.

"The Commissioner of Railways Safety will conduct the probe and submit the report within seven days," Velu told reporters after visiting the accident site.

The minister said nine passengers were killed and 45 were admitted to different hospitals after the train carrying 1,500 passengers derailed as it changed tracks.

Railway officials had earlier put the death toll at 15 and said over 100 were injured in the accident.

The Indian Railways has also announced a compensation of 500,000 rupees (10,000 dollars) to the families of those killed and 50,000 rupees for the injured.

The accident occurred on the same day that India's railway budget was presented and railway officials claimed that the accidents had come down to 194 from 325 a year in the past five years.

Indian Railways runs one of the largest rail networks in the world. Its 8,500 trains carry 16 million passengers over 3,000 kilometres of railway across the country every day. (dpa)