Two men trying to collect virtual reality Pokémon Go characters in the popular smartphone game have reportedly been rescued after falling off a cliff in Encinitas, San Diego.

One man fell about 50 feet down the cliff and the other fell between 80 – 90 feet down onto the beach, Encinitas fire battalion chief Robbie Ford told The San Diego Union Tribune.

Both men were taken to the city’s Scripps La Jolla Hospital, though the extent of their injuries is unknown.

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Mr Ford said one of the men had told police that he and the other man had been playing Pokemon GO when they fell over the edge of the cliff.

Lifeguards treated the man who fell to the beach. Firefighters used ropes and harnesses to pull up the other man who had fallen part of the way down the cliff and was found unconscious.

Despite signs warning of the unstable cliff faces, the men had climbed over a fence to go in search of Pokemon, San Diego Sheriff’s department said.

The incident is one of many international news items relating to Pokemon Go since the launch of the virtual reality game earlier this month.