JUST IN: Dozens Dead After Catastrophic High-Speed Train Collision in Spain

At least 39 people were killed and dozens of others were injured when two high-speed trains collided in Spain on Sunday night in a massive crash that tossed bodies hundreds of feet from the wreckage and forced survivors to climb out of crumpled cars.

The crash happened in Adamuz, a small town in southern Spain near the city of Cordoba. Spanish authorities fear the death toll could rise as rescuers search for people trapped below the wreckage on Monday; 43 people were hospitalized, with 12 of those people in intensive care, The New York Times reported.

A preliminary report said the two rear cars on a train traveling north to Madrid derailed and crossed over to the other side of the track, where they were struck by a southbound train. The southbound train fell down a 12-foot embankment, according to the Times.

“The accident is extremely strange,” Spanish transportation minister Óscar Puente told reporters “All the experts we have consulted are extremely baffled.”

Both trains were traveling about 130 miles per hour; the speed limit in that area is roughly 150 MPH.

“Authorities say the crash was extraordinarily violent, with some passengers catapulted through windows, their bodies found hundreds of meters away,” Chris Jansing reported on MS NOW on Monday.

MS NOW senior transportation reporter Josh Einiger said the “catastrophic” accident stands out because Spain is “second only to China in terms of the amount of high-speed rail in Spain. There’s more than 1,600 miles of high-speed track across Spain.”

One local police officer described the scene to the Times as “utter chaos.” He said it was a “terrible scene” where injured riders were trying to climb out of the wrecked train cars. One passenger compared the crash to an earthquake, and the regional president said some of the bodies were so mangled they were “difficult to recognize.”

Watch MS NOW’s report above.

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