Driver killed in Hokkaido as car hits brown bear, marking latest wildlife road hazard

A 23-year-old driver died after his car overturned on a main road in Nemuro, Hokkaido, early on Monday, with police suspecting the vehicle struck a brown bear in a collision that has highlighted growing wildlife risks on the region's roads.

Police found animal hair on the wrecked car, which had crashed into a central median and flipped over. Brown bears and wild deer are known to frequent the area. The driver was found unconscious and later pronounced dead in hospital.

The incident came a day after a limited express train on JR Hokkaido's Sekisho Line struck a brown bear, killing it and causing four train cancellations.

𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗔𝗽𝗽 ↓