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A hiker who was not properly prepared had to be saved by a helicopter in British Columbia, Canada, after supposedly following a nonexistent path on Google Maps.
On Saturday, November 4th, a duo of helicopter rescue specialists were lifted in to rescue a person stuck on a cliff on the rear side of Mount Fromme. They had climbed from the Kennedy Falls region.
The hiker was unable to be seen from above due to a low cloud cover and thick trees.
On Facebook, North Shore Rescue, a team that performs mountain search and rescue missions in Vancouver, Canada, announced that the location being discussed lacks marked paths and is extremely steep with numerous cliffs. In the weeks leading up to this post, NSR had already put up signs cautioning visitors about this.
The location is evidently hazardous, as it was the site of a previous death.
The helicopter and rope rescue teams successfully brought the unidentified hiker back home safely.
NSR has recently completed their third rescue operation in the Mount Fromme region north of Vancouver, marking the second one within a span of two months.
Before, a nonexistent path in the region was displayed on Google Maps.
NSR was informed that the false path located north of Fromme has been removed from the application.
NSR stated that using programs like Google Maps, which are designed for navigating urban streets, is not suitable for navigating in the wilderness. They also mentioned that proper trip planning, rather than relying solely on Google Maps, would have revealed the lack of trails in the specific area.
The emergency response team advises hikers to bring an extra battery while using mapping apps for navigation, as they can deplete phone batteries rapidly, especially in low temperatures.
This is not the initial occurrence of a Google Maps error leading a user into a hazardous situation.
In September, a legal complaint stated that a man passed away after he followed directions from Google Maps and drove his car off a collapsed bridge in Hickory, North Carolina.
The large technology company is facing a lawsuit for negligence due to allegations that it had received warning of the collapse, yet neglected to update its navigation system.
Source: independent.co.uk
