Five members of a family, including women and children, were rescued after their car got stuck in a deep sinkhole while they were following directions on Google Maps in Uttar Pradesh’s Hapur district, officials said on Monday.
The incident took place near Preet Vihar area on Sunday when Sahil, a resident of Sadipora in Dadri area of Greater Noida, was traveling with his family to a relative’s house at Kithor in neighboring Meerut district.
According to officials, the family took an alternative route suggested by Google Maps after a road near Delhi’s Phatak flyover was closed for repair works.
When they reached a waterlogged area under Anand Vihar Yojana, Sahil mistook the accumulated water for minor waterlogging due to darkness and moved forward and his car slid into a deep drain on the roadside.
Officials said the car’s electronic system malfunctioned, causing the doors to automatically lock and leaving all five passengers stranded inside.
Also Read: Google Maps said that after 4 hours, an American traveler found a faster route to Bhagalpur in Bihar
The rescue operation continued for two hours
After receiving an alert via number 112, the police arrived at the scene and requested assistance from the fire department. Firefighters carried out a rescue operation that lasted nearly two hours and safely evacuated all passengers through the car’s windows and other access points.
Chief Fire Officer Ajay Sharma said the family unintentionally took the wrong route while following Google Maps and failed to notice the drainage due to poor visibility and waterlogging.
The rescued family later thanked police and fire department personnel for saving their lives, officials said.
Also read: Pune Police uses Google Maps-based ‘Trafficure’ software to manage traffic in real time
