The train

An investigation has been launched in India after a driverless goods train travelled more than 43 miles (70km) at high speeds before coming to a stop, reports have said.

No one was injured and a potentially major accident was averted after officials helped reduce the speed of the train by placing wooden blocks on the track in front of it, officials said.

The 53-wagon train was on its way to Punjab from Jammu in northwestern India on Sunday morning, when it stopped in Kathua to change crew, the BBC said.

When the driver and his assis­tant left the train, the handbrake wasn’t applied, and the train ran away down the sloping track, according to NDTV.

It reached an estimated speed of nearly 62mph (100kph) as it moved through about five stations before it was stopped.

Videos shared on social media showed the train, which was car­rying chip stones, zooming past several stations at high speed.

Local officials told the Press Trust of India (PTI): “The train was stopped after a railway of­ficial placed wood blocks on the tracks to stop the train.

—Sky News