Two men have died after a pair of vehicles collided in an accident apparently caused by a deer in Hokkaido, northern Japan, local police said.
The accident on Wednesday involving a minivan and truck occurred in the town of Shibecha, near Kushiro. Both the driver of the minivan and its passenger died while the truck driver was found unconscious.
The police suspect one of the two vehicles hit a deer or tried to dodge one before crashing into the other vehicle. A dead deer was found at the site.
There were a total of 4,009 traffic accidents involving deer in Hokkaido last year, of which 40 percent occurred in October and November, according to the Hokkaido police.
The victims were identified as Hiroyuki Sato, 51, the minivan driver, and passenger Hirokazu Fuji, 72. There were no other passengers in the minivan or truck.
