Google Maps has removed the proposed Road of Bones route to Russia after a Russian driver froze to -50 oC and died.
Google is now advising motorists who want to travel from the Russian city of Yakutsk to Magadan and vice versa, to add another three hours to their journey, following a different route, since two motorists who followed its previous advice Google Maps died on an abandoned road, at -50 Celsius.
https://twitter.com/RT_com/status/1337915930240802817
After a weekly search, the body of an 18-year-old was found in a snow-covered car on an unused highway near Oymyakon, the coldest permanent settlement in the world. Miraculously, his partner survived and was taken to a nearby hospital where he was treated for frostbite. The radiator in their vehicle had a malfunction.
Google Maps previously advised drivers to take the so-called Road of Bones, which local sources say has not been used for years. Although it technically offers a more direct route, reducing time driving between the cities of Yakutsk and Magadan in 31 hours instead of 34, the lack of road services such as snow clearing and almost non-existent traffic makes it extremely dangerous in emergency situations, especially in winter.
A road of bones. The Kolyma Highway in eastern Siberia once delivered tens of thousands of prisoners to the work camps of Stalin's gulag. The ruins of that barbaric era are still visible today, although the elements are slowly erasing them. https://t.co/Jn0EFiJBn3 pic.twitter.com/wc6f05Kigf
- The New York Times (@nytimes) November 22, 2020
Our story comes from the Russian agency RT. In Russia, Google's navigation software is less popular than Russian Yandex Maps and Navigator. These two applications they have around 50 million monthly users. Many believe they offer much better local knowledge than the US tech giant. In fact, some Twitter users say that this incident serves as further proof why drivers should use "only Yandex Maps in Russia!"
Officially named the Kolyma Highway, the "road of bones" earned its terrible name as it was built using prisoners in forced labor and thousands died during constructionduring the Soviet era.
The teenagers were found in a 420 km stretch known as the Old Summer Road, which was deserted. The area is known as an extreme challenge for motorcyclists and adventurers, seeking four-wheeled thrills.
