Google Maps Gone Wrong Again? Car Lands in UP Canal After Following GPS, 2nd Incident in 10 Days

Bareilly: A car carrying three passengers narrowly avoided disaster when it fell into a canal after navigating a washed-out section of road while following Google Maps directions on the Bareilly-Pilibhit state highway in Uttar Pradesh. This marks the second such incident in just 10 days.

The vehicle flipped over near the Kalapur canal at the Barkapur village intersection due to road erosion.

The incident involved Divyanshu Singh from Auraiya, who was traveling in a sedan with two other individuals.

Police in action

All the three passengers escaped the death, with no injuries. The emergency response team came to the sence, and the car the retrieved using a crane.

Police officials said, "Our response team arrived at the spot within a few minutes of the accident. Fortunately, no one sustained a major injury. Their car was taken out of the canal with the help of a crane. The victims were on their way to Pilibhit using Google Maps," after the Car was retrieved. 

Google map showed different routes

Passengers stated that they reached Bareilly's Bada Bypass using Google Maps, which then showed them two routes to Pilibhit. One route was via the highway, while the other was a shortcut through the village.

In this situation, he opted to take the shortcut and continued on his way. After traveling five kilometers, he discovered that the road leading to the Kalapur canal was eroded. Noticing the damaged road, he proceeded cautiously, but the soil beneath the wheel gave way, causing the car to fall into the canal.

Similar incident in Bareilly 

In a similar incident, on Nov 24 a car carrying three people from Mainpuri, tragically fell into the Ramganga River from an under-construction bridge in the Dataganj police station area. The trio was on their way to attend a wedding in Faridpur, Bareilly, when Google Maps directed them onto an unsafe route. 

A Google spokesperson expressed condolences, stating they are working with authorities to investigate the incident. Authorities confirmed the front portion of the bridge had collapsed earlier this year due to floods, but the update was not reflected in the navigation system. Faridpur Circle Officer Ashutosh Shivam added that the bridge lacked safety barriers or warning signs.

(with agency inputs)