Chandigarh man drives car into Goa river, claims he was following Google Maps

Panaji: A Chandigarh man living in Moira drove his Maruti Gypsy down Corjuem ferry ramp into a river at around 2am on Monday. The driver, Amandeep Singh, claimed he was following Google Maps for directions.

Locals who helped retrieve the vehicle found alcohol bottles inside, with one of the beer bottles being empty.“Since I was new to the area, I was following Google Maps. I couldn’t tell 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. Luckily, the car was an old Gypsy with a soft top, and I could open the back and swim out,” said Singh.A shaken Singh said that if it was any other car, he would have lost his life.

“I was out of breath by the time I got out. It was the last of my breath. If there was someone else with me or a different vehicle, we would not have been alive,” said Singh.The man mentioned that he moved to Moira two months ago. Congress MLA Carlos Ferreira, who visited the site, urged govt to put up barricades and precautionary measures at abandoned ferry ramps. “This ramp of the river navigation department is not being used, and I think the department should have put some cautionary signs and maybe even barriers to prevent vehicles from going in.

Both ramps are not being used. It is a matter that govt should have thought of,” said Ferreira.Firefighters from Mapusa fire station, who used a winch to pull the Gypsy out, voiced the same concern about more vehicles driving into the water. Though the incident occurred at night, the driver did not inform the directorate of fire services or Goa police. Locals who went to the jetty in the morning realised that a vehicle was underwater and subsequently bumped into the driver and his friends who were trying to look for the vehicle.

The Mapusa fire station was informed only at 10:51am.“Those who follow Google Maps, please be cautious, and when you cannot see the roads in the heavy rains, be cautious as it will take you to dangerous places,” said Ferreira.