Paris prosecutors have charged a young woman with aggravated manslaughter over the death of an Italian on the Seine river embankment in Paris earlier this month in a collision with an electronic scooter.

The woman, who is a nurse, is suspected of driving the scooter that hit the 32-year-old Italian woman, said a source close to the investigation on Sunday, asking not to be named.

The incident revived debate over the safety risks in allowing the hugely popular devices onto the busy streets of Paris.

The woman was charged late Saturday with manslaughter, aggravated by fleeing the scene and deliberately showing negligence in the June 14 accident.

She was released but placed under judicial control ahead of trial.

The suspect had been detained on Thursday along with another young woman after a 10-day search for the driver of the scooter. The other woman was released on Friday.

The accident happened when the Italian, Miriam S. born in Rome but living in Paris, was in the pedestrianised area to socialise with colleagues. She was talking to a friend when she was hit by the scooter with two people on board who both then fled.

She died of her wounds two days later on June 16.

The scooters have drawn the ire of many residents and some city councillors who say they are cluttering up already crowded sidewalks and squares.

In 2019, a man in his 80s was struck and killed in the Paris suburb of Levallois-Perret, and last year a 75-year-old woman was killed in Paris after being hit by an e-scooter. 

Officially they are forbidden on sidewalks and only one rider is allowed, but enforcement is scant and many riders, including tourists, ignore or are unaware of the rules.

Paris also has a e-scooter speed limit of 20 km/h (12 mph) and prohibits parking them on sidewalks or public squares, where they are often scattered either upright or knocked over.

An April survey of 237 users by Axa Prevention, part of the Axa insurance group, found that 79 percent admitted to riding on sidewalks, while 66 percent said they would roll through yellow traffic lights instead of stopping.

In 2020, 78 pedestrians were injured in France after being struck by e-scooters or so-called "personal transporters" -- such as gyropods and electric skateboards -- according to the Securite Routiere road safety agency.