3 following satellite navigation app plunge into UP canal, escape unhurt

BAREILLY: A car carrying three people, with the driver guided by a satellite navigation app, plunged into a canal on the Bareilly-Pilibhit state highway after being directed to a damaged road near Barkapur village on Tuesday morning. All occupants, including the driver, escaped unhurt, and the vehicle was later retrieved using a crane.

Divyanshu Singh, from Auraiya district, was driving the sedan with two friends, Shubham Kumar and Milind Prakash, when it fell into the Kalapur canal. SP (City) Manush Pareek told TOI, "Three friends from Kanpur were heading to Pilibhit for a wedding. They used a GPS navigation system, which directed them to a shortcut with a broken road, causing the car to fall into the canal. Luckily, the canal was dry, and the passengers sustained only minor injuries. If the driver files a complaint, action will be taken against those responsible. We will also ask the canal department to repair the road to prevent such accidents."

Eyewitness Lal Bahadur, a local farmer, said, "Soon after the car fell into the canal, the driver came out and rescued two passengers. We also helped them until the police arrived. One of them, Divyanshu, called 112 for help, and the police responded quickly."

Bahadur added, "This road is in terrible condition and rarely used by cars as the portion near the canal was swept away during this year's floods. The railing near the culvert is also missing. It was foggy, and the driver probably couldn't see the damaged section."

The incident follows a similar case on Nov 24, when three people lost their lives after their Google Maps-guided vehicle fell from an incomplete flyover into the Ramganga river. An FIR was filed against public works department engineers and the regional manager of Google. Police also sent a notice to Google following the tragedy.