5 taken to hospital after car crashes into store in central Japan

car crashes into store

TOKYO, May 13 (Xinhua) -- Five people were taken to the hospital Saturday after a car plowed into a supermarket in central Japan, according to local police.

At about 9:45 a.m. local time, a passenger car driven by an 80-year-old man slammed into the front of a supermarket in Inazawa of Aichi Prefecture.

Local police reported that all five individuals injured in the incident were female and aged between 60s and 70s. While one of them sustained serious injuries, the remaining four suffered only minor injuries.

The police said the driver, who might have mistakenly pressed the gas pedal instead of the brake, was not injured in the accident.

Official data showed that in 2022, the number of deadly traffic accidents caused by drivers aged 75 or over in Japan rose to 379, as the country faces rising aging population challenges.