Bhubaneswar, India - India's state-run railway has suspended seven workers after brakes failed on a 22-coach train carrying hundreds of passengers, letting it run freely in reverse for about 13 km (eight miles), officials said on Monday.

The train, en route from Ahmedabad in the western Indian state of Gujarat to Puri in Odisha state in the east, rolled downhill for about 45 minutes on Saturday before gradually slowing to a halt, the latest in a series of accidents involving the world's fourth-largest rail network.

It was not immediately clear what speed the runaway train reached but no casualties or injuries were reported.

Iron tools used to stop trains were not properly put in place, according to a senior railways official.