After the advent of Google Maps, it has become easy to go anywhere in India. Getting into the car, the location of a certain place on the map is done. The destination can be reached by looking at the map. But it is not right to depend too much on Google Maps. By blindly believing, many are getting into big trouble. A similar incident happened with a family going to Goa from Bihar. Because of Google Maps, they spent the whole night in the dense forest.
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what exactly happened
The family was going to Goa from Bihar. They took the help of Google Maps for navigation. After reaching Karnataka’s Belagavi district, the map showed them a route that passed through the dense Bhimgarh forest of Khanapur. The family follows suit. After eight kilometers inland, the family realized that they had made a mistake coming this way. Reaching the rough roads and thick forests, the phone network also goes away. Google Maps also stopped working after the network went out. After that, the family had to spend the whole night in the forest without finding any way out.
The family had to walk four kilometers in the morning to find the network. Finally they found a network at one place and immediately contacted the emergency helpline 112. Later the police came and took them out of the forest. Police said the forest is known for dangerous wild animals. In such a situation anything bad could have happened.
Khanapur police inspector Manjunath Nayak said the family contacted emergency services only after the mobile network was restored. Belagavi Police Control Room gives this information to Khanapur Police. The authorities then used GPS to locate the family and reach them with the help of villagers. Mr. Nayak also pointed out that the forest is home to diverse wildlife, adding that a farmer was seriously injured in a recent bear attack in the area. So the family got a mobile network, it was a matter of luck.
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Such incidents have happened before
Last month too, three people died due to Google Maps in Uttar Pradesh’s Bareilly district. They took the help of Google Maps to reach the wedding venue. Then, according to Google Maps, while going over an under-construction bridge by mistake, the car fell into the river and the three occupants of the car died on the spot. The incident took place while traveling from Gurugram to Bareilly. It is reported that the car fell over the bridge from a height of 50 feet into the Ramganga river. However, questions have also been raised as to why there was no warning sign board in this regard on the incomplete flyover.
In August 2024, an X user shared his experience of missing a flight from Bengaluru to Mumbai due to an error in the Google Maps app. He was traveling over 50 km from HSR layout to Kempegowda International Airport (KIA). According to the map, the trip was supposed to take one hour and 45 minutes, but it actually took three hours, causing him to miss the flight as well.