Besides the unprecedented fan frenzy, Pokemon Go has made headlines for the accidents it has caused around the world since it was launched a few weeks back. In what appears to be the first reported death caused by playing the game, a teenager was shot dead in Guatemala when he was searching for Pikachu and other virtual animals.
Jerson Lopez de Leon (18) and his cousin Moisen Picen (17) were shot when they broke into a private property while hunting for Pokemons on a street in Chiquimula, about 120 miles from Guatemala City. Jerson died after being shot while Picen was severely wounded.
The two teenagers were playing the popular game when they decided to chase a virtual animal and ventured into the private property, reported the UK-based publication Mirror, citing local reports.
The local police told reporters that they are looking for the drivers of a van that was seen racing from the scene of crime.
Jerson's mother said that her teenaged son had left the house to play the augmented reality mobile game.
Previous accidents
The popular Pokemon game has raised doubts over the safety of players as several incidents have been reported to have occurred while players were lost in the virtual world. Here are some of them that happened in July:
— A 19-year-old girl stumbled upon a dead body in Wyoming, USA when she was trying to catch Pokemons.
— A 28-year-old man rammed a car into the tree as he was playing the Pokemon Go game while driving in New York City.
— On July 13, a teenager named Autumn Deiseroth landed up in the hospital in Pennsylvania because she was playing the popular game while trying to cross a road.
— Two men who were hunting for the virtual animals walked across a "no trespassing sign" and fell off a cliff in Encinatas, California. While one fell about 90 feet to the cliff base, the other fell about 50 feet down. The two were rescued by firefighters and are currently recovering at a local hospital, Metro reported.
The Pokemon Go game was released on July 6 to iPhone and Android devices. It is currently available in 35 countries, including the U.K, U.S.A, Germany, Canada and Australia.
