Two Kerala doctors killed after GPS misguides them into River

Kochi: In an unfortunate incident, two doctors lost their lives after their GPS navigation system allegedly misguided and led them into the waters of the Periyar River in the early hours of Sunday.

The reliance on GPS instructions has tragically resulted in the loss of two doctors' lives, as they, unfortunately, died on Sunday when the vehicle they were travelling in submerged into the Periyar River near Gothuruth, near Kochi.

The Global Positioning System (GPS) that provides users with positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) services has allegedly misguided the doctors to a waterlogged stretch, which was, in fact, a river, leading the car to sink.

The deceased has been identified as 29-year-old Advaith and Ajmal, both were working at a private hospital in the district.

The incident took place on October 1 at around 12.30 a.m. when a group of five friends were returning by car from Kochi to Kodungallur after celebrating Dr Advaith's birthday and were reportedly following Google Maps for directions.

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Dr Advaith was driving a Honda Civic car at midnight on Saturday. Since he was unaware of the route, he decided to take assistance from Google Maps. After he turned on the navigation, the GPS rerouted and gave them a short distance to reach the destination faster. Following this, they mistook the river for a waterlogged road, drove on and the car fell into the Periyar river.

The locals rushed to the spot to rescue them and informed the Fire service personnel and Police. With the combined efforts of the locals and the fire and rescue personnel, three of the passengers were successfully extricated from the car, ensuring their survival.

Police suspect that the accident occurred due to heavy rains and low visibility further compounded by the absence of barricades and signboards demarcating the river.

Dr Gaziq Thabseer, one of the survivors informed TOI, "The accident occurred after GPS rerouted us. Yes, we were using GPS. However, since I was not driving, I can’t confirm if it was a technical glitch in the application or a human error. It was Dr. Advaith’s birthday, and the doctors went to Kochi to celebrate it with a male nurse in our hospital. Dr Ajmal’s fiancée was also part of the celebration."

It is advised by experts that during the monsoon season, GPS algorithms have the potential to redirect drivers to less congested routes. However, it should be noted that these alternative routes may not necessarily guarantee a higher level of safety. The selection of the appropriate mode of travel on the map is of utmost importance, as it can significantly impact the safety of navigation.

The friends and loved ones of those involved were left in a state of deep shock after receiving news of the unfortunate event.

A case has been registered under Section 174 (unnatural death) of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) by the police and both bodies have been sent for post-mortem. An investigation into the case is underway.

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