Bhubaneswar: A major technical snag was reported in the Hatia-Puri Tapaswini Express (18452) on Monday when several coaches detached shortly after the train departed from Bhubaneswar railway station.

According to reports, the incident occurred at around 9:30 pm, barely 500 metres from Bhubaneswar station. The second and third coaches of the train got separated from each other, resulting in the engine and the first two coaches moving ahead while the remaining coaches came to a halt near Malisahi.

The problem came to light only after the engine, along with the two coaches, reached near Mancheswar railway station. Railway staff were alarmed after discovering that the rest of the train was missing.

Meanwhile, passengers stranded in the detached coaches were left anxious as the train had come to a sudden stop without the engine.

Railway officials soon reached the spot and assessed the situation. The engine and the two coaches that had moved ahead were brought back, and the train was reassembled before resuming its journey at around 10:20 pm.

Preliminary findings suggest that the incident was caused by the dislodging of a coupling clip connecting the coaches and a failure of the vacuum system to function properly. However, a senior railway official said the issue was not a major defect and noted that coaches can occasionally get detached when coupling clips become loose.