Amazon van gets stuck in 'dangerous' mudflats after driver follows GPS route

An Amazon delivery van ended up stuck in the mud near a military firing range after its driver followed GPS directions onto a hazardous tidal path, officials said.

HM Coastguard Southend said it was called out after the van drove via Wakering Stairs onto The Broomway – a roughly six-mile, 600-year-old walking route that stretches into the Thames Estuary – while attempting to reach Foulness Island.

The Broomway is not intended for vehicles and should only be attempted on foot with a guide familiar with the surrounding mud flats, the coast guard said. The area is considered extremely dangerous and sits on property owned by the U.K.’s Ministry of Defense. Public access is permitted only when military firing ranges are inactive and a security barrier is open.

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According to HM Coastguard Southend, officers contacted the Qinetiq security office, which confirmed the van’s occupants had driven onto the mud flats the previous evening. The vehicle had remained there through high tide.

The delivery driver exited the van and reported the incident to Amazon, the coast guard said. The company arranged for a local farmer to recover the vehicle later that day. In an afternoon update, officials confirmed the van had been removed.

Coast guard officials said their primary concern was the safety of the occupants and the potential for environmental contamination. After confirming the individuals were safe and that the vehicle would be extracted, officers stood down.

FOX Business reached out to Amazon for comment. 

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According to parish council records cited by the BBC, 100 people have died on The Broomway, though the last recorded death was in 1919.