Google Maps Shortcut Ends With Bihar Family Spending Night in Karnataka Forest

Bengaluru: Taking help from Google Maps to navigate the route while travelling from Bihar to Goa resulted in a harrowing experience for a family as they were left stranded in the middle of a dense forest in Karnataka.

The family was left stranded in the dense Bheemgad forest area of Khanapur in Belagavi district, after relying on Google Maps.

The ordeal started when the navigation app directed them to a shorter route through the forest near Shiroli and Hemmadaga. Unaware of the potential risks, they took their vehicle round eight kilometers into the rugged terrain only to find themselves in a challenging situation, with no mobile network coverage and no clear path to exit the forest.

In spite of repeated efforts to exit the woods, they were forced to spend the night inside their car in the middle of the forest's intimidating wilderness. To find their way out, they walked for around 4 kilometres at dawn. After covering a significant distance, they finally reconnected with the internet and sought help from local police.

They successfully contacted the emergency helpline 112, prompting a swift response from local police. Soon after, authorities located the stranded family and safely rescued them.

This is latest in the series of Google Maps leading people to unexpected destinations.

GPS Leads Car to Unfinished Flyover in UP, 3 Dead 

Earlier on November 23, in a similar incident, three people lost their lives after GPS led them to an under-construction bridge and causing them to fall into a Ramganga river in Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly District.

The tragic incident was reported on the Khalpur-Dataganj road in Faridpur in the district when the victims were travelling from Bareilly to Dataganj in the Badaun district. The trio died on the spot after the fatal accident. According to police, the front portion of the bridge had collapsed earlier due to floods but the information was not updated in the system.

"Earlier this year, floods had caused the front portion of the bridge to collapse into the river, but this change had not been updated in the system," news agency PTI quoted Circle Officer Ashutosh Shivam as saying. The GPS app reportedly guided the passengers to the under-construction bridge which lacked any safety barriers or warning signs, which added to the danger and led to the fatal fall.

The driver was using a navigation system and did not realise that the bridge was unsafe, driving the car off the damaged section, the police said. There were no safety barriers or warning signs on the approach to the damaged bridge, leading to the fatal accident, Shivam said. Soon after receiving the information, police teams from Faridpur, Bareilly and Badaun's Dataganj police station rushed to the scene and recovered the vehicle and the bodies from the river.

Google Maps Misleads Car to UP Canal 

Just 10 days after the Bareilly incident, a similar incident was reported in UP. A car carrying three passengers fell into a canal after navigating a washed-out section of road while following Google Maps directions on the Bareilly-Pilibhit highway. The vehicle flipped over near the Kalapur canal at the Barkapur village intersection due to road erosion. Luckily no deaths were reported in the incident. Soon after the information was received, an emergency response team came to the sence, and retrieved the car using a crane. 

The Google Maps had showed two route options, prompting the passengers to take the shorter one. The shorter route involved crossing a highway to reach their destination. After travelling for five kilometers, the passengers discovered that the road leading to the Kalapur canal was eroded. Noticing the damaged road, they proceeded cautiously, but the soil beneath the wheel gave way, causing the car to fall into the canal.