Horrific crash in India puts rail safety in spotlight

Rescue workers work through the wreckage. Photo: Dipa Chakraborty/Eyepix Group/Future Publishing via Getty

At least 275 people were killed and around 1,200 were injured in a train crash in eastern India that authorities say was caused by an electronic signaling system error.

The big picture: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made modernizing India's vast rail system a major priority, increasing spending by 5x from before he took office to $30 billion last year.

How it happened: The high-speed Coromandel Express passenger train en route to Chennai was mistakenly signaled off the main line and onto an adjacent track, where it collided with a freight train carrying iron ore.

Worth noting: Overall, train derailments have declined significantly in India in recent decades, NYT notes.