"Australian police have warned travelers off using Apple’s troubled iPhone mapping software after several motorists became stuck in a snake-infested, desert corner of the country while using their phone for directions," Reuters reports.

The article continues, "Police in southeast Victoria state said they had been forced to rescue a number of motorists who had become stuck for up to 24 hours ‘without food or water’ after being directed to the arid Murray-Sunset National Park, instead of the tourist town of Mildura, 70 km (43 miles) away.

"’We had a fellow trapped in there just on Friday night after his car became bogged. He saw a snake, a goat and a fox, and he was too scared to get out of the car,’ Mildura police Inspector Simon Clemence told Reuters on Tuesday."

The story adds, "The Murray-Sunset National Park is in Victoria’s far northwest, a relatively untouched semi-arid region accessible only by four-wheel-drive vehicle. Clemence said at least six vehicles had become stuck on the desert park’s sandy tracks after being directed by the iOS mapping system to turn off a long and infrequently sign-posted stretch of highway between South Australia state and Victoria.

"’These people have still been rescuable. But we’ve just had a 46C day (115 degrees F). If they were out there in that temperature and out of phone range, they would have been in serious trouble,’ he said."