Three men tragically lost their lives when their car, relying on an outdated version of Google Maps, was directed off the edge of an unfinished bridge in Uttar Pradesh, India.
Kaushal Kumai, Vivek Kumar, and Amit Kumar were returning from a wedding in Gurugram when they followed the app’s directions, leading them onto a bridge over the Ramganga River, situated between Faridpur and Dataganj.
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At approximately 2:30 pm on Saturday, the vehicle plunged 30 feet to the ground, killing all three occupants. The bodies were found the following morning, trapped in the wreckage. Investigators discovered that the Google Maps directions had not been updated to reflect the closure of the bridge, which had sustained flood damage in 2022.
The bridge, which lacked warning signs indicating its inaccessibility, remained incomplete after the flood, posing a hidden danger to unsuspecting drivers. Authorities have questioned four engineers and a Google Maps representative as the incident raises concerns about the reliability and safety of digital navigation tools.
Family members of the victims are demanding accountability, expressing outrage over the lack of proper safety measures at the site. One relative commented, “This tragedy could have been avoided if appropriate precautions had been in place.”
