New Delhi, Jul 30 (IANS): The CPI-M Monday lamented the "absence of adequate safety measures" in Indian Railways, following the death of about 35 people in an accident involving the Tamil Nadu Express.

The Communist Party of India-Marxist said the deaths in a sleeper coach when the train was passing through Andhra Pradesh "due to an electric short circuit again highlights the absence of adequate safety measures.

"It is shocking there are no mechanisms in place to deal with such an occurrence leading to the spread of the fire which engulfed the whole compartment while the passengers were asleep," a CPI-M statement said.

"The upkeep of the trains and safety checks and monitoring seem to be the least priority for the present incumbent of the railway ministry."

The party said it had earlier too demanded that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh "look into the affairs of the railways and the way it is being mismanaged. This now brooks no delay".