WENZHOU - Chinese authorities said on Sunday that it is baseless speculation to say that an "ultimatum" had been given to force relatives of those who died in a fatal high-speed train crash in east China to agree to accept government compensation.

The statement was made to Xinhua by the working team that's handling the aftermath of the bullet train crash in Wenzhou of Zhejiang province that killed 40 people and injured over 190 a week ago.

The working team, which was formed by senior officials from central and local governments, said it would stick to the principle of "people first" in handling the aftermath of the train accident.

Authorities said earlier Sunday that 15 families of those who died in the train crash had agreed to accept government compensation as of late Saturday.