Hyderabadis following Google Maps end up in canal in Kerala

Despite the mishap, all four tourists were rescued and reported no injuries though the car was submerged in the canal.

Hyderabad: A four-member team of tourists from Hyderabad had a narrow escape after their car ended up in a canal full of water at Kurappanthara in Kottayam district of Kerala on Saturday.

The tourists were en route on a Ford Endeavour to Alappuzha from Munnar and were following directions on Google Maps when the incident occurred around 3 am. Despite the mishap, all four tourists were rescued and reported no injuries though the car was submerged in the canal.

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The passengers were rescued by police and locals. Due to the heavy rains, the canal was overflowing and the driver could not identify the canal as he assumed that it was a water-logged road.

According to reports in the local media, when the driver turned left, following directions on Google Maps, the luxury SUV plunged into the canal. One of the passengers managed to escape through a window of the vehicle and called the locals for assistance to save other two men and a woman who were stuck inside the SUV.

According to the driver, he mistook the canal for a water-logged road. “I was driving at a speed of 10 kmph. We realized the accident only when the backside of the vehicle started sinking in water,” he was quoted in local media reports.

The reports said although it was an accident-prone area, authorities had failed to install a warning signboard or crash barrier at the site. With the help of local residents and Fire and Rescue forces, the car was lifted out of the canal by Saturday noon.