App’s directions land car in canal, passengers escape unhurt

Hyderabad team's SUV plunges into canal in Kerala due to route finder app error, passengers escape unharmed.

A four-member team from Hyderabad, who were visiting Kerala, had a narrow escape on Saturday when their SUV plunged into a swollen canal near Kuruppanthara while following the directions shown by a route finder app.

The incident took place near the Kadavu bridge around 3 a.m. when the car was on its way to Alappuzha from Munnar. The passengers escaped unhurt, although the vehicle sustained severe damage.

According to the passengers, the accident occurred when the car took a turn by blindly following the app’s directions. As soon as the vehicle plunged into the water, they escaped by breaking open its windows. The car, which drifted for some distance, soon sank.

Local residents quickly rushed in and launched a rescue mission, with a police and Fire and Rescue Services team joining them shortly. The vehicle was lifted out of the water a few hours later.

The police said the car driver mistook the canal for a waterlogged road. “They had a miraculous escape as the canal, owing to the heavy rain over the past week, was in spate. Had the vehicle been speeding, the impact of the accident could have been much greater,” said an official.

Local people said that the location had been prone to road accidents and called for the installation of a larger warning sign to alert drivers.