A MAN was killed in a three-vehicle crash involving a Royal Mail van in the northern isles yesterday.
A blue Vauxhall Astra and a pick-up truck were also involved in the smash on Orkney.
It happened on the A965 Kirkwall-Stromness road near the village of Finstown.
The road remained closed last night.
It is understood the man who died was a senior citizen.
It is believed the Royal Mail van had just finished making deliveries in the area when the smash happened.
The Vauxhall ended up on its side in the middle of the carriageway, with debris left strewn all over the road.
The post van came to rest at the edge of the verge.
Both the car and the Royal Mail vehicle were badly damaged. It was unclear last night what damage was done to the pick-up.
The 84-year-old driver of the Vauxhall died. His female passenger was taken to the Balfour Hospital.
It is believed the driver of the Royal Mail van was also taken to hospital.
Fire crews from Kirkwall had to use cutting gear to free one person from the wreckage.
An ambulance spokeswoman said: “We have taken two casualties in to Balfour Hospital but there is no information on injuries.”
The road was closed between the Harray Road end and Baikies throughout the day and local diversions were put in place.
Local officers remained at the scene while they waited for members of the road policing unit from Dingwall, who arrived at the scene last night to carry out detailed crash investigations.
Orkney West Mainland councillor Owen Tierney said: “Obviously it is very sad when something like this happens in the area.
“It also shows that as a council we have to keep safety in mind and while people don’t like the idea of restricting speed on main roads there will always be scenes like this so we will have to wait and see what is said when investigations are finished.”