Watch: Freight train travels for over 70 km without drivers in India's Punjab

In a shocking incident from the north Indian state of Punjab, a freight train travelled more than 70 kilometres from Kathua station in Jammu and Kashmir to Hoshiarpur district without its driver on Sunday (Feb 25).

The goods train was running at a speed of over 100 km per hour before it was brought to a halt near Ucchi Bassi railway station in Mukerian with the help of sand bags.

The train was reportedly laden with chip stones and was on its way to Punjab from Jammu. 

The video of the train, which went viral on the internet, shows it passing by a railway station at a very high speed.

The unusual incident took place between 7.25 am and 9 am, when, as per the officials, the train had halted at the Kathua railway station in Jammu for a driver change.

The 53-wagon train probably began to roll down a slope gradient track on the Jammu-Jalandhar section and gained speed along the way, a spokesperson of the Northern Railway said, citing preliminary information.

"The train was stopped after a Railway official placed wood blocks on the tracks," officials said.

Both the loco pilot and assistant loco pilot were not aboard the goods train.

The officials said that no damage or casualty was reported in the incident further adding that an inquiry has been launched to find out its exact cause.

"No casualty was reported in the incident," officials said.

“An inquiry has been initiated to know the exact cause of the incident. Prima facie, it seems that the train started rolling down the slope gradient towards Punjab without the driver and his assistant,” Divisional Traffic Manager, Jammu, Prateek Srivastava told news agency PTI.

Whether the train had been "secured" appropriately at Kathua on the down gradient is currently under investigation, said the spokesperson adding that an extensive probe into the matter was underway.

Railway officials and staffers along the route were put on alert.

Government Railway Police (Jalandhar) Sub-Inspector Ashok Kumar stated that all the rail-road crossings on the Jalandhar-Pathankot section were secured after receiving information about the freight train.