In what police are calling Japan’s first death linked to Pokémon Go, a driver playing the smartphone game hit two pedestrians on Tuesday night, officials said.
The collision broke the neck of one woman, killing her, and left another woman with a broken hip, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Police in Tokushima, on the western Japanese island of Shikoku, told the Wall Street Journal the women were crossing the street when the car struck them. The man driving the car did not see them because was playing Pokémon Go.
Nintendo and Niantic, the companies behind the game, expressed condolences to the victims’ families, the New York Times reported. The game previously added safety warnings and tells users: “Remember to be alert at all times. Stay aware of your surroundings.”
Since Pokémon Go launched earlier this year, people in the United States have reported being attacked and robbed while playing the game, and it has caused car crashes as well. Japanese police told the Wall Street Journal that there have been 79 accidents involving Pokémon Go since it came to the country on July 22, and 22 of those resulted in injuries.
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