By EMILY SHAPIRO Jun 29, 2016, 4:19 PM ET
Steffen/Amarillo Globe-News/AP PhotoWATCH 3 Crew Members Missing in Texas Train WreckThree railroad employees are presumed dead after they went missing when two freight trains collided in a fiery crash near Panhandle, Texas, on Tuesday, according to a Texas Department of Public Safety official.
Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway said four of its employees were involved when two intermodal freight trains collided Tuesday morning. One employee was hospitalized while rescue efforts were underway for the other three employees, BNSF Railway said Tuesday.
"They just went face to face with each other and collided," witness Mason Maas told ABC News. "I've never seen a crash like this."
Crews moved from a rescue effort to recovery operation Tuesday night, Texas Department of Public Safety Sgt. Dan Buesing told ABC News today. The three missing employees are presumed dead, he said.
"Our deepest concerns are for our employees and their families right now," BNSF Railway said in a statement.
Another train employee was hospitalized after the crash and is in stable condition, Patrick Buckley of the Northwest Texas Hospital in Amarillo told ABC News.
One of the trains had stopped in Amarillo, Texas, to refuel before the crash, Buesing said.
While the area of the incident has stopped burning, it is still smoldering with a significant amount of smoke and a few flare-ups, he added.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation.