Three dead after Google Maps told them to drive off an unfinished bridge
Three people died in a road accident after their car’s GPS told them to drive down an incomplete bridge, sending them plummeting off the edge to their deaths.
The incident occurred in the city of Bareilly in India on Saturday, when residents in a nearby village visited the riverbank only to find a submerged car stuck in a ditch.
Upon closer inspection, the villagers were shocked to discover the lifeless bodies of three passengers inside the vehicle, and rushed to inform the police.
After arriving at the scene, a police investigation revealed the victims had been returning home from a wedding and had been using their vehicle’s GPS to navigate a route home.
But unbeknownst to them, the GPS had told them to drive down an incomplete bridge, and due to the high speed the car was travelling at, they were unable to stop in time. Instead, the men fell 25 feet into a ditch in the Ramganga riverbed below and died on the spot.
The bodies were transported to a nearby morgue using boats and sent for post-mortem examination. The deceased were later identified as Kaushal Kumai, Vivek Kumar, and Amit Kumar.
All three worked as security guards, and were allegedly trying to take a shortcut home. Police have informed the families of the deceased.
The incomplete bridge has become known locally as a death trap after it was demolished during heavy flooding in the area in 2022.
The damaged portion of the bridge is closed for travel, but inadequate signage and reliance on outdated digital maps by drivers has made it a local danger spot.
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