Five people following navigation app in Kerala gets stranded in forest at midnight

Malappuram: A navigation app typically helps travellers to take easier routes to reach their destination. But what if the route leads through a dense forest at midnight and your car gets stranded there amidst heavy rainfall?

That's what exactly happened in Nilambur, in this north Kerala district, on Sunday when a group of men, following a forest path using a popular navigation app, got stranded in the dense forest during heavy rain.

Eventually, they were rescued by Fire and Rescue Service personnel.

Five men hailing from Kalpetta in the neighbouring Wayanad district were on their way to attend a function in Nilambur, fire and rescue personnel said.

As they were unfamiliar with the forest route, they were using the navigation app.

"Actually, they didn't lose their way. There is a path through the forest that leads to their destination in Nilambur. However, it was raining heavily when they entered the forest at night, and their car got stuck in one of the marshy pits," a fire and rescue official said.

It was an area frequented by wild animals, including elephants and boars, he said.

The frightened passengers somehow managed to contact the local fire station, from where a team of personnel immediately proceeded to the area.

"The car got stuck in the pit and broke down. So we had to tow it by tying it to our vehicle with a rope," the officer said, adding that the passengers later continued their journey.