A woman narrowly escaped a serious mishap on Friday morning when her car plunged into a water-filled ditch after she followed directions from Google Maps. The incident occurred during her drive from Belapur to Ulwe.

According to officials, instead of directing her over the Bay Bridge in Belapur, the navigation app misled her to a route below it, toward the Dhruvatara Jetty. Unaware of the misleading route, she continued driving, only to end up in the water shortly afterward.

Marine security personnel stationed in the area saw the vehicle descend into the ditch and reacted promptly. The woman, who was seen floating in the water, was pulled out within minutes. Fortunately, she was not injured in the incident. Her white hatchback was later lifted out of the ditch using a crane. Footage of the rescue has since gone viral on social media.

Not an Isolated Case

This isn’t the first time users have been led into danger by Google Maps. Similar incidents across India have brought the app under scrutiny for erroneous directions that have endangered lives.

In one of the most tragic cases reported last year, three people lost their lives when their car, while following directions from Google Maps, drove onto a damaged bridge in Faridpur, Badaun district of Uttar Pradesh. The vehicle plunged 50 feet into a river while travelling from Bareilly to Dataganj.

Responding to the incident, a Google spokesperson said, “Our deepest sympathies go out to the families. We’re working closely with the authorities and providing our support to investigate the issue.”

Another alarming event took place in Kerala when a group of tourists from Hyderabad, unfamiliar with the local roads, drove straight into a flooded stream while relying on the app. The road had been submerged due to heavy rains. All four passengers were rescued without injuries.

There have been several similar reports over the past year. In Greater Noida, a man died after his car fell into a 30-foot sewer while being navigated by the app. In another case, two individuals died on the Delhi-Lucknow highway after allegedly taking a wrong turn suggested by Google Maps and colliding with a truck.

In December 2024, three men on their way from Kanpur to Pilibhit drove onto a narrow canal path and met with an accident when the vehicle overturned. They survived the fall. Similarly, in July this year, an elderly couple’s vehicle fell into a stream in flood-hit Manvettam, Kottayam. Locals managed to pull them out just in time.

Drivers Voice Concerns Over App Reliability

Regular users of the navigation tool have also spoken out about their experiences. Goutam Ghosh, a 46-year-old driver using Indrive, told The Telegraph Online, “Using Google Maps I keep finding myself at a dead end, like after reaching halfway I see there is no road and it is blocked. There have also been issues where I have found a pond instead of a road while using the map, this happened when I was driving in Medinipur. While driving in Kolkata there have been instances where it has shown directions where even a cycle cannot enter but it is suggesting the route for a four-wheeler. Because of these I have faced cancellations in bookings as customers either get another ride or get late.”

While Friday’s Navi Mumbai incident ended without casualties, it highlights growing concerns about the reliability of digital navigation tools, especially in areas with complex or underdeveloped road infrastructure.