Family injured as Google Maps navigation directs car into canal in Uttar Pradesh
A family traveling from Bhopal to a wedding in Uttar Pradesh followed Google Maps navigation into an unsuitable route during heavy rain at night, causing their car to plunge into a canal. All five occupants sustained minor injuries and were safely extracted by police and local residents.
What happened
On the evening of July 5, 2026, a family from Bhopal traveling by car to a wedding in Firozabad used Google Maps for navigation on an unfamiliar route. As they reached Itawah in Uttar Pradesh, heavy rain began, reducing visibility and causing the road surface to become slippery.
Following Google Maps directions in the dark and rain, the family took a wrong route and their car went off the road into a canal (bamba) between villages Nagla Vishun and Tijura. All five occupants—Dharamendra Jadon, his wife Sheetal, daughter Shreya, Aja Jadon, and Sandhya Bhatnagar—were trapped in the vehicle.
Reported impact
Nearby residents heard the occupants' cries and alerted police, who arrived with local assistance to extract all five family members from the vehicle. All occupants sustained minor injuries and were taken for primary medical treatment.
The front portion of the vehicle was severely damaged. The vehicle was later retrieved from the canal using a crane.
Index analysis
The incident involved Google Maps providing navigation directions that led the vehicle onto an unsuitable route during poor visibility conditions. The family relied on the application for wayfinding on an unfamiliar road.
Classification
Sources and evidence
Sources not yet published
This record was researched and written by the Index from original reporting. Its sources are still being verified by an editor, and they are listed here once that check is complete. Until then the record carries no reviewer.