Japan driver playing Pokémon GO 'kills woman after hitting her with truck'

Reuters
Mark Wilkinson25 August 2016

A truck driver has been arrested after allegedly hitting two women, killing one and injuring the other, while playing Pokémon GO at the wheel.

Police in Japan said he had been “distracted” by the game after his arrest for negligent driving following the accident in Tokushima City.

Keiji Goou, 39, is reported to have admitted to the charges, telling police he “wasn’t looking ahead properly because I was playing Pokémon GO.”

Police named the woman who died as Yukiko Nakanishi, 72, a hairdresser from Kitayama City.

The other victim, 60-year-old Kayoko Igawa, was hospitalised with serious injuries.

They were crossing a road on Tuesday evening when when they were struck by the truck.

Police have launched an investigation into the incident, said to be Japan’s first traffic death linked to Pokémon GO.

A spokesman for the Tokushima prefectural police said: “The driver is still in custody. No decision has been made yet on whether to proceed with a prosecution.”

The augmented-reality game has been a worldwide hit but has sparked warnings from authorities for users to play responsibly.

In Taiwan on Sunday Pokémon GO players caused a stampede in Taipei blocking streets in the capital

A Guatemalan teenager was the first Pokémon fatality after he was shot breaking into a house while playing the game in July.

Also in July, a group of teenagers playing Pokémon GO in a north London park were robbed of their phones at gunpoint.

They were playing the game in Whittington Park near Upper Holloway station when they were approached by three men who demanded them to hand over their smartphones.

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