Chandigarh, July 20 (IANS) A major accident was averted in Punjab Tuesday when the alert crew of an express train realised that its iron hook had broken, detaching the engine and four bogies from the train that was moving at nearly 100 km per hour.

No casualties were reported, initial reports say.

The engine and four compartments of the Himsagar Express got detached from the rest of the train after the hook broke near Lehragaga station in state's Sangrur district, about 150 km from here.

A railway official said the train crew immediately realised that the rest of the train, comprising 16-17 bogies, was left behind. Eyewitnesses told railway officials that the hook broke with a small blast.

Ruling out sabotage, the official attributed the snag to a technical fault, adding that a proper investigation was being conducted.

Efforts were being made to repair the fault, the official said.

The Himsagar Express runs on one of the longest routes in the country, connecting Jammu city with Kanyakumari town in Tamil Nadu - the southernmost tip of India's mainland.