Three men fall to death in UP as Google Maps leads car onto incomplete bridge

A tragic incident occurred in Badaun district, Uttar Pradesh, on Nov 24, when GPS navigation technology, Google Maps led a car to fall into the Ramganga River from a collapsed bridge, resulting in the deaths of three people.

The victims were traveling from Bareilly to Dataganj when the accident occurred on the Khalpur-Dataganj road at around 10 am, according to the police.

"Earlier this year, floods had caused the front portion of the bridge to collapse into the river, but this change had not been updated in the GPS. As a result, the driver was misled and did not realize the bridge was unsafe," said Circle Officer of the area Ashutosh Shivam.

The Circle Officer also highlights the bridge's lack of warning signs or safety barriers, which could have prevented the tragedy.

According to the investigation, the driver was unable to stop his car when the bridge ended as it was traveling at a fast speed.

A social media user on X said the car crashed 25 feet into the Ramganga, killing all three passengers on the spot.

Upon receiving the news, police teams from Faridpur, Bareilly, and Badaun's Dataganj police station quickly arrived at the scene. They retrieved the vehicle and the bodies of the victims, who were sent for post-mortem, according to the Circle Officer.

The deceased were identified as Kaushal, Vivek, and Amit, who were reportedly returning from a wedding, a user on X said.

Social media users expressed concerns about the risks of relying only on navigation technology, with one user saying, "Never trust Google Maps blindly."

Another social media user wrote, "How could Google Maps display the road as open? I thought they used satellites to map routes and traffic. This murder is on @Google."