Following Google Maps, Chandigarh man drives Gypsy into river in Goa

New Delhi: A man from Chandigarh fell into a river in Goa after allegedly being misled by Google Maps. The incident took place on Monday when Amandeep Singh, a resident of Moira, was allegedly using Google Maps for directions when he drove his Maruti Gypsy down Corjuem ferry ramp into a river.

While Singh blamed Google Maps for the incident, locals who helped pull his vehicle out of the river, alleged that alcohol bottles were found inside the Gypsy and one of them was empty.

"As I was new to the area, I was using Google Maps for direction. The map could not identify the difference between the water and the road, and since I was looking at the map, the car went in and it kept going in. Fortunately, it was an old Gypsy car with a soft top, and I could open the back and swim out,” Singh was quoted as saying by TOI.

He said that if it was any other car, if would have not survived. "If there was someone else with me or a different vehicle, we would not have been alive,” said Singh.

Following the incident, Congress MLA Carlos Ferreira visited the site and requested the government put up barricades or warning note at abandoned ferry ramps.

Earlier, several such incidents, some even tragic, were reported in different places where people either fell off under-construction bridges or rivers while following Google Maps' directions.

Last year, three people lost their lives after their car, being navigated using Google Maps, drove off an incomplete flyover and fell into the river 50 feet below in Faridpur. They were travelling from Bareilly to Dataganj in the Badaun district.

Responding to the mishap, Google had said that it was assisting the authorities in the investigation. "Our deepest sympathies go out to the families. We're working closely with the authorities and providing our support to investigate the issue," it said.