We often rely on navigation apps to direct us to our destination and trust that it will provide the safest and most efficient route. Unfortunately, unforeseen tragedies can happen too.
A total of three men in Uttar Pradesh, India, lost their lives after the car they were driving plunged off an unfinished bridge, something which Google Maps failed to notify them of.
3 men die after they were told to drive on incomplete bridge
As per a report by Times of India, the men, identified as Nitin Kumar, 30, and his cousins, Ajit Kumar, 35, and Amit Kumar, 30, were travelling from Gurugram to Bareilly with the help of Google Maps last Sunday (Nov 24).
Unbeknownst to the trio, Google Maps apparently didn’t inform them that they were making their way towards an incomplete bridge which was built over the Ramganga River.
As a result, they drove off the bridge and were sent plunging 15m into the riverbed below, leading to their demise.
Due to the fact that the accident took place at night, locals from the nearby Allapur village only discovered the wreckage in the morning and called the police.
The men were later declared dead at the scene by officials.
Google expresses condolences
The Economic Times quoted a local police officer who said that a section of the bridge was damaged by floods earlier this year. However, this wasn’t updated in Google Maps.
Additionally, he noted that the bridge neither had safety barriers or warning signs.
This unsurprisingly caused outrage among the victims’ family members, who are now demanding for accountability from the Public Works Department and authorities.
The officials must be held accountable for this negligence. Why was the bridge left incomplete, and why were there no safety measures in place?” questioned a relative as quoted by The Hindustani Times.
Meanwhile, a Google spokesperson expressed condolences for the tragedy, saying in a statement that it’s “working closely with the authorities and providing our support to investigate the issue.”
A similar incident involving navigation app blunders occurred back in January, where a Thai woman found herself stuck in the middle of a bridge:
