Authorities agree on compensation deal

Authorities and relatives of victims of Saturday's fatal high-speed train crash have agreed on the first compensation deal.

The accident between two trains just outside Wenzhou in Zhejiang province claimed at least 39 lives. A further 178 people were injured. In Wenzhou, the family of a victim signed a contract worth 500,000 yuan (HK$604,725), Xinhua reported.

Yet relatives complained that the authorities handled the negotiation as if it was 'a business deal'.

'We aren't interested in talking about money at the moment - that is the last thing on our minds,' they added. 'We want to put [our relatives] to rest with dignity.'

On Monday night, Yang Feng, a widower, started a protest outside the city's government headquarters.

Yang said rescuers had only discovered the bodies of his pregnant wife, sister-in-law, nephew and mother-in-law more than a day after the crash. 'I still have not had any response from the authorities,' he said.