A motorcyclist was seriously injured after following Google Maps onto a road damaged by subsidence in the old Bhatmura area of Haripur, under Pandabeswar in West Bengal’s Paschim Bardhaman district, with police locating him through his mobile tower signal the following morning.
The rider, identified as Prasun Bandyopadhyay of Kanksa, had left home on Friday evening for work as a cable operator. He was travelling through an unfamiliar area and checking Google Maps while riding when his motorcycle apparently reached a section of road that had collapsed into a subsidence-related depression.
According to the report, the accident occurred on land acquired by Eastern Coalfields Limited (ECL). A section of the road in the colliery area had reportedly caved in several days earlier. The affected route was subsequently closed, but local sources said many people remained unaware that the road was no longer safe or open for use.
Bandyopadhyay managed to call relatives after the accident, but he could not explain where he was. His speech was unclear and he appeared to be in a state of trauma after falling onto the damaged road. His family then contacted the police, who began searching through the night across the area.
A police officer said the injured man was unable to provide a reliable location and mentioned different places when asked where he was. Police eventually traced his mobile tower location and found him on Saturday morning with assistance from coal mine authorities. He was taken for treatment to a hospital in Durgapur.
The incident has drawn attention to the safety risks around roads affected by mining activity, particularly where closures and hazards are not clearly communicated to people unfamiliar with the area. Local sources said the ECL-acquired site has now been closed and that preparations for coal extraction have begun there. They also said the road closure should be communicated more clearly to the public.
Police said the exact circumstances of the accident would be established after Bandyopadhyay recovers sufficiently to provide information. He remained under treatment for his injuries at the time of the report.
