Thiruvananthapuram ; 30thJune
Two men narrowly escaped after their car fell into a river on the Pallanchi Forest road in Kasaragod while using Google Maps to navigate to a hospital early Thursday morning. Their vehicle, carried away by water currents, got stuck in a tree, allowing them to call for help. Abdul Rashid and A. Thashreef were heading to a hospital in Karnataka at 6 am when they drove onto a narrow road shown by Google Maps. Rashid, who was driving, mentioned that they didn’t see the river or the bridge without sidewalls due to the darkness and lack of visibility.
The car was swept away but got stuck in a tree, and the men escaped through the side windows. They contacted their relatives, who alerted the fire department. Fire personnel rescued them using ropes. Rashid expressed their gratitude, feeling they had been given a second chance at life. It was noted that a new, taller bridge had been built 500 meters from the accident spot four years ago, but Google Maps still directed them to the old bridge.
This isn’t the first such incident in Kerala. Last month, tourists from Hyderabad drove into a swollen stream in Kottayam, relying on Google Maps, but were rescued unharmed by a nearby police patrol and locals. Their vehicle, however, was submerged due to heavy rains and overflowing water.
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