A freight train hauling coal derailed on Friday in Washington as the bridge under it collapsed. Several of the train’s 89 cars fell in the water dumping coal and chemicals into the Anacostia River.

According to a D.C. Fire Department spokesman, no one was injured and the oil and hydraulic fluid that spilled into the water were quickly contained. The accident involving the train of CSX Corp. will most likely slow or even halt traffic on the busy route that runs over the river outside the capital.

"It was a loud noise, a big thump. Then, the train just started going up in the air. The wheels separated from the train. Then the track went over, the rails went up in the air. I never saw anything like it before," Alice Spann said for CNN.

The specialists investigating the case aren’t sure yet whether the derailment of the cars or the collapse of the bridge came first, said Bob Sullivan, a spokesman for CSX Transportation Inc. The fire inspectors have reportedly found out that the bridge was in serious disrepair and not structurally sound, D.C. Fire Department spokesman Allan Etter said.

Ten of the train’s 89 cars plunged into the water and the emergency vehicles responded. Some engine companies with hazardous materials units came to the scene of the accident as a safety measure.

Coal, hydraulic fuel and oil were spilled into the river, Alan Etter said. The spokesman also expressed his hopes that the environmental impact will be “minimal”. The intervention squads have placed booms in order to prevent any hazardous materials from moving downriver.

Assistant Fire Chief Lawrence Schultz said that the water had “sheen”, but the following pH tests have been neutral. “It could be something as simple as brake fluid from the train,” Schultz said.

Bob Sullivan assured the media that the train wasn’t carrying any hazardous materials.