Following Google Maps, youths on way to hospital in Kerala drive vehicle into river

Two men, who were on their way to a hospital using Google Maps to find their way, had a narrow escape on the Pallanchi Forest road in Kasaragod after their car fell into a river early morning on Thursday.

They could escape and contact the Fire Force personnel only because their vehicle, carried away by the water currents, got stuck in a tree.

The rescued youths said they were going to a hospital in neighbouring Karnataka in the wee hours on Thursday and were proceeding using Google Maps.

Abdul Rashid and A Thashreef said they met with the accident at 6 am on Thursday while heading towards a hospital at Uppinangady in Karnataka. Rashid was behind the wheel, following the directions shown on Google Maps.

Rasheed said Google Maps showed a narrow road, and they drove their car through it.

‘No sidewall on the bridge’

"Using the vehicle's headlight, we felt that there was some water in front of us. But we didn't see a river on both sides and a bridge in the middle. There was also no sidewall for the bridge," PTI reported Rasheed as saying.

It was dark outside, and the path was not visible, leading to the accident, Rasheed added.

The car suddenly began to get carried away in the water currents but later got stuck in a tree on the river's shores.

They managed to escape by lowering the side windows. They informed their relatives about the accident via phone, who subsequently alerted fire force officials.

Later, Fire Force personnel rushed to the place and pulled out the two men to safety using ropes.

"We never thought that we could come back to life. We truly feel that it is a rebirth," Rasheed added.

It is important to note that a new, taller bridge was constructed 500 meters from the accident spot four years ago, but Google Maps still shows the old bridge.

Previous incidents

This is not the first such incident reported in Kerala.

Last month, a group of tourists from Hyderabad drove into a swollen stream near Kuruppanthara in Kottayam after using Google Maps.

All four managed to escape unharmed due to the efforts of a nearby police patrol unit and local residents, but their vehicle was completely submerged.

The road they were travelling on was covered by water overflowing from the stream due to the heavy rains, and since the tourists were unfamiliar with the area, they drove right into the water body while navigating using Google Maps, police said.