A body on Google Street View? Don't worry it's just me playing dead, says girl, ten

Andy Dolan Daily Mail 08/12/2010 15:39

It is a suburban scene much like millions of others on Google's Street View site... apart from one chilling addition. Lying face down on the pavement, her shoe inches away in the gutter, is the body of a young girl.

Anxious residents browsing their on-screen neighbourhood contacted Google about the image fearing they had chanced on a murder scene.

The the truth emerged. The 'body' belonged to ten-year-old Azura Beebeejaun who has revealed she was 'playing dead' as a prank outside her home in Middle Road, Worcester.

Captured on camera: The girl was playing with a friend when a Google Street View car captured her lying face down on a quiet residential street in Worcester

Her innocent game just happened to coincide with the arrival of a Google Street View car to record the images of the road.

Azura said: ‘I didn’t know anything about the Google Street View car (recording me). I fell over while I was playing with my friend and thought it would be funny to play dead.

‘I’m quite chuffed I’m on the internet. It is quite funny and I can’t wait to tell my classmates when I go back to school.’

Her mother, Saira, 43, said she was amused the image had caused such a fuss among her neighbours.

The picture was taken last summer and published online in March as part of the Street View’s effort to photograph every street in country using cars fitted with roof mounted panoramic cameras.