(Bloomberg) -- Two BNSF Railway Co. freighttrains collided in Texas, leaving at least one worker injured.Rescue efforts were under way for three other employees involved inthe accident.

The collision occurred at 8:25 a.m. local time near Panhandle,Texas, BNSF said in a statement Tuesday. The railroad said it wouldprovide more details as they become available. Photographs from thescene showed fire and smoke billowing from a towering heap oftangled up metal from crumpled freight cars.

The two trains were carrying intermodal cargo, which are usuallyconsumer goods. The accident occurred on the main line known as theSouthern Transcon linking Los Angeles with Chicago. There was noestimate for re-opening the line and the effect on traffic flowswas being evaluated, Mike Trevino, a BNSF spokesman, said in ane-mail. BNSF is a unit of WarrenBuffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc.

Delayed implementation of remote safety system

Railroads received an extension on the implementation of a remotesafety system, known as Positive Train Control, until 2018 afterfailing to meet an original deadline at the end of last year. Thesystem, which is estimated to cost the industry $10.6 billion, isdesigned to stop trains when they are out of position or don’tobserve traffic signals. It was too early to tell whether such asystem would have prevented the crash.

The FederalRailroad Administration said in a statement that itsinvestigators had arrived on the scene, which is about 28 mileseast of Amarillo, Texas. The NationalTransportation Safety Board is sending a team of six railspecialists to investigate the accident, the agency said in atweet.

Read more and see photos from the Amarillo Globe-News.

Copyright 2018 Bloomberg. All rightsreserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten,or redistributed.