GPS Goes Silent: Cabbage-Laden Truck From MP Plunges Into Gorge in Odisha; 3 Injured
The navigation app reportedly went offline because of network disruption
Bhubaneswar: A truck transporting cabbage from Madhya Pradesh plunged into a gorge on the Kandhamal–Ganjam border late Sunday night after the driver reportedly lost his way when Google Maps stopped functioning due to a sudden network failure.
Three persons, including the driver, sustained serious injuries in the accident at Gazalbadi Ghat and were shifted to MKCG Medical College and Hospital in Berhampur.
According to police and fire service officials, the truck was travelling along National Highway 59 toward Hinjilicut, with the driver relying heavily on Google Maps to navigate the steep ghat section. When the vehicle approached Gazalbadi, the navigation app reportedly went offline because of network disruption. Disoriented on the winding, poorly lit stretch, the driver lost control, and the truck veered off the road and plunged into the gorge.
A team from the Daringbadi Fire Station rushed to the spot after receiving alerts from local residents. Fire officer Dhabaleswar Pradhan said the team rescued the critically injured driver and two helpers who were trapped inside the mangled vehicle.
“We received information in the evening that a vegetable-laden truck had overturned in the ghat. When we reached the spot and spoke to the occupants, they said they were following GPS but lost signal midway, after which they ended up in the gorge,” Pradhan said.
The truck, carrying bundled cabbage from Madhya Pradesh, split open on impact, scattering sacks of produce down the slope. Local residents were seen collecting the fallen vegetables on Monday morning.
The local police registered a case and inspected the accident site. A detailed investigation was underway to ascertain the exact sequence of events and the role of navigation failure in the crash.
