WATCH: Rare Pokémon causes near stampede in Taiwan
A shocking sight reminiscent of a scene from a disaster film happened in a busy Taiwanese intersection on Sunday, as thousands of people swarmed the streets to capture a rare creature from the famed augmented-reality game Pokémon Go.
Reports from Taiwanese media confirmed that a stampede nearly occurred when a Snorlax—the cuddly, sleep-enthusiast who’s a rarity in Pokémon pantheon—appeared near Beitou Park in the Xinbeitou district in Taipei.
Showing proof of how consuming the app has become worldwide, the giant mob pushed through the intersection with the urgency of a life-and-death situation.
Despite the mayhem, reports said that the mob waited for the light to turn green before crossing the street, which ultimately caused the near stampede. Luckily, no one was reported injured from the madness.
The Xinbeitou area, meanwhile, has become a daily focus for “thousands” of players looking to catch particularly exotic Pokémon that appear to populate the surrounding streets, a TIME report said.
Overcrowding has been such a problem in most parks that the civil-defense brigade had to be called in several times, along with police reinforcements from neighboring areas.
A similar incident also occurred in New York when a Vaporeon appeared in Central Park. Khristian Ibarrola
