Three die after Google Maps directs car off unfinished bridge in India
Three men died in India after their car veered off an unfinished bridge while being directed by Google Maps. Police are investigating whether the navigation app failed to account for the bridge's dangerous condition, which had partially collapsed earlier in the year.
What happened
Three men died when their car veered off an unfinished bridge and fell onto a riverbed in Uttar Pradesh on Sunday. Police believe Google Maps directed the group to take this route.
A part of the bridge had reportedly collapsed earlier in the year due to floods. Locals knew to avoid it, but the three men were not from the area and were unaware. There were no barricades or sign boards indicating the bridge was unfinished.
Reported impact
Three men died in the accident. The incident has sparked debate in India over whether navigation apps share responsibility for accidents caused by inaccurate information about road conditions.
Index analysis
Google Maps is the most popular navigation app in India, with around 60 million active users and 50 million transactions witnessed. It powers services for many ride-sharing, e-commerce and food delivery platforms.
Governance controls
Authorities named four engineers from the state's road department and an unnamed official from Google Maps in a police complaint on charges of culpable homicide. Google told BBC Hindi it was cooperating with the investigation.
Classification
Sources and evidence
Sources not yet published
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