Kerala: Youths follow Google Maps to reach hospital, drive car into river

They had a miraculous escape as the vehicle got stuck to a tree in Kerala's northernmost Kasaragod district

Kasaragod: Two youths, who were on their way to a hospital using Google Maps to find their way, drove their car into a swollen river but had a miraculous escape as the vehicle got stuck to a tree in Kerala‘s northernmost Kasaragod district.

The visuals of Fire Force personnel pulling them to safety from the overflowing river in Pallanchi here the other day went viral on social media platforms on Sunday. They could escape and contact the Fire Force personnel only because their vehicle, which was carried away by the water currents, got stuck in a tree.

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The rescued youths said they were on their way to a hospital in neighbouring Karnataka in the wee hours the other day and were proceeding using Google Maps. Abdul Rasheed, one of the youths, said Google Maps showed a narrow road and they drove their car through it.

“Using the vehicle’s headlight, we felt that there was some water in front of us. But, we didn’t see that there was a river on both sides and a bridge in the middle. There was also no sidewall for the bridge,” he told a TV channel. The car suddenly began to get carried away in the water currents but later got stuck in a tree on the shores of the river.

By this time, they managed to open the car door, come out of the vehicle and contacted the Fire Force personnel by sending them the location. 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. Last month, a group of tourists from Hyderabad drove into a swollen stream near Kuruppanthara in Kottayam apparently 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.