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

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

The two trains were carrying intermodal cargo, which are usually consumer goods. The accident occurred on the main line known as the Southern Transcon linking Los Angeles with Chicago. There was no estimate for re-opening the line and the effect on traffic flows was being evaluated, Mike Trevino, a BNSF spokesman, said in an e-mail. BNSF is a unit of Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc.

Delayed implementation of remote safety system

Railroads received an extension on the implementation of a remote safety system, known as Positive Train Control, until 2018 after failing to meet an original deadline at the end of last year. The system, which is estimated to cost the industry $10.6 billion, is designed to stop trains when they are out of position or don’t observe traffic signals. It was too early to tell whether such a system would have prevented the crash.