Remains of two BNSF employees recovered at Texas crash site

The remains of two BNSF Railway Co. crew members involved in a train collision on Tuesday have been recovered, the railroad announced yesterday.

A third crew member is still unaccounted for, while a fourth crew member is in "stable" condition at a local hospital, BNSF officials said in a post on the company's website.

The accident occurred at 8:25 a.m. Tuesday when two BNSF intermodal trains collided on the same track near Panhandle, Texas. An engineer and a conductor were on board each train. An intense fire broke out after the collision, preventing emergency personnel from initially reaching three crew members who were onboard. The fourth crew member, who remains hospitalized, reportedly jumped from the train during the incident.

Emergency crews moved from a rescue effort to a recovery operation Tuesday night, ABC News reported.

The families of all four employees have been notified, but BNSF is not publicly releasing their names out of respect for the families' privacy, company officials said.

"The entire BNSF family is terribly saddened by this event and we extend our deepest sympathy and thoughts to the families and friends of the employees involved in this incident. This is an extremely difficult time and our entire organization grieves for the loss of our colleagues,” said Carl Ice, president and chief executive officer.

The National Transportation Safety Board is overseeing the investigation into the collision's cause.