Twenty-two coaches of the Ahmedabad-Puri express travelled for 15 km without an engine in Odisha on Saturday, reported PTI. However, an accident was averted by stopping the train with wooden blocks and stones on the track. All passengers were safe.

Seven employees have been suspended, and Sambalpur Divisional Railway Manager Jaideep Gupta ordered a senior officer-level inquiry into the incident. East Coast Railway General Manager Umesh Singh called for strict action against the personnel responsible for the lapse. “Safety is non-negotiable and cannot be compromised with,” said Singh, according to The Hindu.

The incident took place around 10 pm at Titlagarh, about 400 km from Bhubaneshwar. Usually, the engine is detached and then reattached at the other end of the train at Titlagarh. During the process, the coaches are secured with skids at the wheels. However, this time the skids were either not placed or placed improperly.

The train travelled from Titlagarh station in Balangir district to Kesinga station in Kalahandi district. “A case of rolling down of coaches of Ahmedabad-Puri express towards Kesinga side had occurred,” the East Coast Railway said in a statement. “This happened due to non-application of skid-brake on the wheels of the coaches by staff concerned.”