In a significant development, the Uttar Pradesh Police on Monday (November 25) booked four engineers of the Public Works Department and an unnamed official of Google Maps in connection with the death of three men whose car fell from an under-construction bridge while following directions on the navigation app.
According to the information released, the FIR has been filed against four engineers of the PWD, along with some unknown individuals. The regional officer of Google Maps has also been brought under the investigation scanner, although his name has yet to be included in the FIR.
Speaking about the development, Budaun District Magistrate Nidhi Srivastava stated, "Apart from corrective measures at the site, an FIR under section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the IPC has been registered against 2 Assistant Engineers, 2 Junior Engineers of PWD, and unknown individuals."
"Detailed instructions have also been issued to the PWD and Setu Nigam to inspect all roads, bridges, flyovers, and underpasses to prevent a repeat of such incidents," she added.
Significantly, in the aftermath of the incident, a Google spokesperson also extended condolences over the deaths of the three. Earlier in a statement, the spokesperson stated, "Our deepest sympathies go out to the families. We're working closely with the authorities and providing our support to investigate the issue."
About the incident
In a tragic incident, at least three people died after their speeding car fell into the Ramganga River from an under-construction bridge in Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly. According to information released, the incident occurred around 10 am on November 24 as the car, carrying three passengers, was en route to Dataganj in Badaun district from Bareilly. However, while following GPS navigation, the car fell from an under-construction bridge. The road navigation platform failed to update the passengers that the front portion of the bridge had collapsed into the river during floods in the region earlier.
The police stated, "The deceased were navigating their way to Dataganj using GPS. It might have directed them to take the route crossing the bridge. But little did they know that earlier this year, floods had caused the front portion of the bridge to collapse into the river. However, this change had not been updated in the GPS. As a result, the driver was misled and did not realize the bridge was unsafe."
"In addition, the absence of safety barriers or warning signs on the under-construction bridge compounded the danger, leading to the fatal accident," the police added.
(With inputs from PTI)
