The GPS instructed a car going from Bareilly to Dataganj to cross a bridge that had been largely wrecked by flooding earlier this year.

Two brothers from Farrukhabad, Vivek Kumar and Amit, were among the three people in the car when it crashed into a river after driving onto a damaged bridge. Officials are investigating the third individual, whose identity is yet unknown.

The Wagon R vehicle plunged fifty feet into the Ramganga River. The car was found by the villagers who spotted it in the water, but only after all three passengers had died. Villagers instantly reported the incident to the police.

The incident happened when they were directed by the GPS to cross a bridge that had been partially destroyed by floods earlier in the year. This change had not been updated in Google Maps leading the driver to dive into a broken bridge.

 

"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 Ashutosh Shivam.

The victim’s family confirmed they had been using Google Maps for navigation and expressed disappointment with the local authorities for lack of action, as the incomplete bridge and absence of barricades or a warning sign led to accidents. 

"The family blamed the negligence of the administration for the accident. They have also requested the district magistrate to take action against those responsible so that such incidents do not happen in the future," Shivam added.

Officials also noted that the absence of safety barriers was a result of inadequate warnings on the bridge that was still under construction, which increased the risk.