DRAMATIC VIDEO shows aftermath as cargo train plunges from bridge near historic Harpers Ferry outside Washington, DC

A freight train derailed as it was crossing the Potomac River near the historic town of Harpers Ferry, with cars falling into the water and damaging the popular Appalachian Trail.

The aerial footage from the site, which occurred at the iconic Winchester and Potomac Railroad Bridge early on Saturday, showed two carriages overturned in the river and several others hanging from the bridge.

A total of seven cars derailed, but the locomotive managed to stay on the track. Though extensive damage was caused, there were no fatalities or injuries as a result of the crash.

There was nobody on the bridge when the crash happened, and no-one inside the carriages. The cars, normally used for transporting grain, were empty at the time of the accident. The cause of the derailment is now being investigated, with the authorities working to remove the train from the water.

The accident damaged a section of the Appalachian Trail crossing the Potomac River, and it has been closed indefinitely. The location is popular with tourists due to its picturesque view of three states – Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia – and historic sites. Harpers Ferry is notable for being the site of a bloody battle that took place between the North and the South in 1862.

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